Looking for Adventure and Whatever Comes Our Way
by onlymystory
Summary: Cora, Isaac, and Stiles want Derek to be the driver on a road trip to check out colleges. Ten days in the car with his sister, beta, and the eighteen year old that Derek is still trying to convince himself he's not in love with? This should go well.
1. Chapter 1

"No. No, absolutely not." Derek folds his arms and leans back against his headboards. He was trying to enjoy a nap on this particularly rainy Sunday afternoon. Really, the fact that he's being interrupted is his own fault. There's no peace with a teenage sister, teenage/psuedo-little brother beta, and Stiles always around.

Stiles. Who is currently sprawled on Derek's bed, his legs over Derek's lap like they belong there or something, several brightly colored folders in his hands. Derek is still happy and sometimes surprised that Stiles picked him when the packs split.

Scott and Stiles are still best friends of course. They just figured out early on after Scott became an alpha that at least for territorial purposes and to appease their wolfy natures, even the humans had to officially define their loyalties. Cora was obviously with Derek. Allison clearly went with Scott. And then no one was really sure how everything would shake out. With Peter dead and staying that way this time around, the town at peace, and all the right people in the know, the sides hadn't been as easy to figure out. But by the end Scott kept Lydia, Danny, and Ethan. Derek had Isaac and Stiles.

Privately, he thought he got the better end of the deal.

He'd be more smug about his thoughts if he wasn't currently trying not to react like a teenager to the eighteen year old who won't stop moving his damn legs.

"C'mon Derek," pleads Stiles now. "You promised not to throw a fit if we went to college away from Beacon Hills."

"It's not that," says Derek, holding Stiles' legs still with one hand. "I'm fine with you three going away if that's what you decide. But a road trip? You don't even have your acceptance letters yet."

"But this way we'll know which one we want to choose once we do hear back."

"I agree with Isaac," adds Cora, coming back with sodas from the fridge. Black cherry for Stiles because Derek always keeps that one stocked. For reasons. And then whatever the hell Isaac and Cora are drinking this week. It looks like root beer. "This is essentially research."

Derek glares at her and Isaac, both of whom are lying across the end of the bed with their dirty shoes on. "Thanks for sharing." He would like a soda too.

Stiles sits halfway up, takes a long swig, and hands the can to Derek. "I can share."

Derek accepts and determinedly does not think about Stiles' lips having touched the same place his mouth is now on. Derek is an adult after all. "Alright fine. Why do you need me?"

"Because you have the soccer mom-car. And unlike the Camaro that won't fit everyone, my jeep which is uncomfortable, and the obviously out option of Isaac's motorcycle, Growly can fit suitcases and still be comfortable," explains Stiles.

Cora kicks him. "I thought we agreed you'd stop naming everyone's cars."

Stiles sticks his tongue out at her. "You agreed. But given that it was a stupidass decison, I elected to ignore it."

"I'd say we talked about you quoting Nick Fury all the time but it never does any good," sighs Isaac.

Derek does remember the meeting where everyone, including Scott's pack, voted that Stiles wasn't allowed to quote any superhero movie whatsoever. It was the same meeting that vetoed The Notebook on co-pack movie nights. It should be less surprising that neither Stiles nor Lydia listened to anyone.

"What do I get out of this?" asks Derek out loud. He's going to agree anyway. Might as well milk it a little.

"Pride in being an excellent big brother."

"Knowledge that you are being a responsible alpha and furthering your pack's education?" offers Isaac.

Stiles sits up fully, puts one hand on Derek's knee, and turns on the full Bambi eyes look. "Please, Derek. For me?"

Derek mildly hates how easy he can be manipulated by Stiles. "Fine." Stiles and Isaac bounce with glee and Derek deliberately ignores Cora's judgy eyes. He pushes Stiles' legs off his lap. "I'm going to pick up Chinese food. We'll map out a road trip route over dinner."

He leaves to a chorus of thank yous. He's getting extra egg rolls now. Because he deserves it for being this considerate of an alpha.

* * *

Impressively enough, Derek's pack actually listens to him and has everything laid out at the kitchen table when he returns. It looks neatly organized too, which is clearly Cora's influence.

Derek digs the food out of the bags and sets it on the counter. There's a container of sweet and sour pork, along with one of sweet and sour chicken, plus a large order of fried rice that all gets dumped in a big bowl with a spoon in it for Isaac. Derek still doesn't pretend to understand the way Isaac eats. He's the only person Derek knows that actually prefers all of his food mixed together on the plate.

Right now that's not so weird looking. After the spaghetti and baked apple incident of last November though, everyone started being more careful about what foods were made for a particular meal. Or Isaac gets kicked out of the room while he eats.

Cora is the exact opposite of Isaac when it comes to eating habits. Derek is continually amazed that the two of them can handle going out to dinner together without freaking each other out. He pulls two kids plates out of the cabinet, both with the little ridges that keep different foods from touching and loads them up.

His sister has always liked appetizers best, so he grabbed egg rolls, pot stickers, crab and cream cheese rangoons, and chicken satay for her. Cora refuses to soil her food with condiments, usually quoting that Gilmore Girls show about bastardizing other country's food, so he sets aside all the dipping sauces that came with the appetizers and puts them in the fridge. Derek is nice enough not to point out to his sister that their version of Chinese food is already bastardizing it. The sauce will get eaten whenever Stiles brings over a giant bag of curly fries and can't decide what to dip them in.

Sometimes Derek asks for extra sauce.

Stiles pushes away from the table where Cora and Isaac are talking in low voices. Derek could probably hear them if he tried, but he doesn't care that much. He opens up the rest of the boxes of food as Stiles brings the other two their food, then sets chopsticks down for himself and a fork for Derek, before grabbing new rounds of soda out of the fridge.

Derek uses one of the unclaimed pairs of chopsticks and the now empty fried rice container to separate the broccoli from his beef and broccoli. He likes the beef, Stiles likes the broccoli with that specific flavoring.

During one of the trips to the table, Stiles leans over Derek's shoulder and snatches a bite of broccoli away with his teeth. Derek considers it a success that he didn't accidentally stab Stiles at the feel of him so close. As a pack, they're all close anyway, always touching each other and flailing around. It's not a puppy pile thing-that's Scott's pack-but his pack tends to fall into each other at any given moment, sort of an exercise in trust. It's when Stiles does these things that are more boyfriend-like than just another pack member that Derek gets flustered. And he never knows if Stiles does it on purpose or not.

Stiles' Mandarin crispy duck gets picked with a small order of chow mein, Derek's double order of egg rolls are drenched in soy sauce and hot mustard, and when he sits down, he sets an order of cashew chicken between himself and Stiles. They'll both end up eating out of it.

"Alright, what've you got so far?" asks Derek around a mouthful of food. He has better manners, but he's hungry.

Isaac opens up a map in the center of the table. "Okay, so we talked to all our teachers and because this is about college, they're willing to give us the Thursday and Friday before spring break off. We just have to write a paper for Ms. Morrell about the places we visited." He eats another bite before continuing. "We were thinking that we'd drive down to LA on Thursday, have the evening to do some sight-seeing, and then go on college tours all day Friday."

"How many colleges are we looking at?" Derek hasn't been paying that much attention to where everyone's applying, figuring it didn't matter until acceptance letters came back in.

"UCLA for me and Cora," answers Stiles. "I got early acceptance and we're pretty sure she's getting in. Scott wants Isaac and me to check out USC, because they're all planning to go to school here anyway."

"I thought you didn't like USC," interjects Cora. She sort of spits rice out when she speaks and Derek takes a moment to reconsider his ambivalence towards table manners. Maybe he should be a role model.

Isaac shakes his head. "We don't. But it's not the end of the world to walk around campus for half an hour and pick up some pamphlets. Scott's our friend, we can be nice."

They also have culinary schools for Isaac, Seaver College at Pepperdine University for Cora, who wants to focus on social work and kids who get lost in the system, and Whittier College for Stiles. The last one Stiles mentions hoping to get an interview set up, since he hasn't heard back from them. The create your own degree program is the school's greatest appeal.

Derek agrees that those options will work, then motions for Isaac to continue while he steals one of Cora's rangoons.

"Saturday is Disneyland..." Isaac looks hopefully at Derek.

"Disneyland is fine," he responds. Like he could deny Isaac of all people the chance to go to the Magic Kingdom.

Cora nudges Isaac. "Told you he'd say yes." Isaac rubs his nose against hers and kisses Cora, before going back to his food. Derek tries not to vomit.

"Anyway," Stiles picks the conversation back up with an eyeroll. "Sunday gives us a leisurely drive back up the coast. We figured we'd stop in San Luis Obispo and visit the beach, plus Cora promised to teach me how to surf. Then we can get into San Francisco Sunday night."

"I can teach you to surf," suggests Derek.

"You know how?"

"Back in high school, yeah."

"Which means you won't remember anything," snarks Cora. "Best to leave it to the experts."

Stiles grins. "She has a point. I mean, what if you fall off and hit your head and start drowning?"

Derek side-eyes him.

"It could happen!"

"Then I guess I need someone around who has a tendency to save my life." Derek meant to joke but it comes out sounding serious.

Stiles blushes and looks away. Derek smiles, smug as can be. Isaac and Cora make grossed out noises at both of them.

Over the next hour, they work out the rest of the details. San Francisco only needs a day for Isaac to visit a couple culinary schools. Stiles has early acceptance to Berkeley-which is where his mom went to school-and he's only interested in going there if the rest in the pack choose San Francisco, plus he's already visited. They make plans to sight-see while Isaac does his thing.

Then there's a drive up to Portland, Oregon, with a stopover in Eugene to check out the University of Oregon. Derek outvotes going further to Seattle. He needs everyone to be close enough to get to in a day's drive, and the ten hours between Beacon Hills and Portland is already pushing it. He doesn't want to add another 3-4 if anyone goes to school in Seattle.

Pack politics are also dicey in Washington.

The rest of the trip then gets delegated to renting a house on the Oregon coast and having some pack time, a suggestion made by Isaac and unanimously approved by the others.

With that in mind, and a stern lecture to Stiles about not putting more than two One Direction songs on any road trip mixes, Derek starts clearing the table and washing the few dishes. Cora helps, Isaac and Stiles put away leftovers, and soon enough they're fighting over what show to start marathoning next.

Derek pulls the alpha card, outvotes everyone, and cues up the most recent episode of SHIELD. At least he still has authority over something.

* * *

Two weeks later, Derek and Cora are pulling up outside the Stilinski house. Scott promised to drive Isaac over by 8am, with donuts.

"You should use this trip to make a decision too," say Cora. Her feet are up on the dash again. Derek swats at them.

"Decision about what?"

Cora has clearly inherited his mother's talent for giving him an epic side-eye. "About Stiles, obviously. Everyone knows you like him."

"Does he know?!" His voice absolutely does not squeak.

"Not really?" Cora hesitates. "I think he's suspicious sometimes, and he told Scott and Lydia that he liked you and of course Lydia told Danny, who told Ethan, who told me. Stiles should really learn that we have no secrets. Anyway, it seems like he knows that he fits a type and that you might be attracted to that type, but he won't make a move."

Derek parks in front of the house and turns to his sister. "Why won't he?"

Cora gives him another 'you're ridiculous' look. "He knows about Kate and Paige. You really think Stiles is going to do anything that might remotely pressure you? God, you really don't know him at all."

"I know him." Scott, Isaac, and what sounds like Allison turn onto the street so Derek wraps it up. "I will think about what you said."

"Derek..."

"I said I'd think about it, Cor. Don't push."

"Fine," agrees Cora, hopping out of the car. "Just don't let yourself be afraid of your feelings."

Derek grumbles to himself as he follows, coffee in hand. There's caramel in it the way he likes and he's pretty sure that's because Stiles restocked the cabinets after everyone had sundaes last week. Maybe Cora does have a point.

"Morning Derek!" Allison greets him with a cheerful smile and an open box of donuts.

"Morning," he answers, shoving half of one in his mouth. They get all their donuts from this little bakery by the high school that Isaac started working at last year. It's actually what made Isaac want to go to culinary school. Derek just likes free desserts.

He pops open the car's back door so Isaac can load his things inside and waits with Allison, stealing two more donuts in the meantime.

"That box," points Allison, "has some cookies I made for you guys. Each box is labeled for each of you, with individual favorites, so no fighting."

"Did I get...?"

"Peanut butter blossoms? Yep," finishes Allison. "I do know your favorites at this point."

Derek grins. Allison makes them quite a bit but Ethan also loves that particular cookie and he always eats most of them before Derek can get a chance to have more than four. "Thanks."

"Derek!" Stiles yells and semi-tumbles out of the house. "Dad got us snacks for the road and I created an epic road trip mix. I even included that 70s rock crap you insist on listening to all the time."

"I thought you liked that music."

"I do. It's just fun to give you shit. So what's going on?"

"Allison made each of us our own box of cookies. Isaac's trying to figure out how to fit every sweater he owns in the trunk."

Stiles laughs. Derek gets a warm feeling in his gut over being the cause. Isaac glares at them. "I only brought six sweaters."

"We're only going to be gone for ten days," notes Stiles.

"Donut?" offers Derek, handing one to Stiles and ignoring Isaac's current justifications of why he needs that many sweaters. Scott will commiserate with him as always and then Cora will end up making promises to make Isaac feel better in ways that Derek never wants to know about and always ends up getting too much detail anyway. He's not overly worried about Isaac's feelings.

Stiles accepts, his fingers brushing Derek's as he takes the pastry. "Thank you. So, mmph, Dad wanted to see us off but he got called into work. Anyway, like I said, he still got a bunch of road trip snacks, including those spicy sunflower seeds you like."

It ends up taking another forty-five minutes to get everyone situated and their gear loaded up. Lydia dropped folders off with Stiles the night before with questions and checklists for every college. It's intense, but Derek's actually grateful. He doesn't really know everything that needs to be considered and he wants Isaac and Cora to get the most out of this trip. Derek's pretty sure Stiles knows all this stuff already.

Cora and Isaac declare the road trip started by making out against the car door.

Stiles doesn't have to call shotgun to get it, simply sliding into the seat. He keeps his feet off the dash. Derek knew he liked Stiles best for a reason.

"Ready?" Derek asks, poking Stiles for no other reason than to touch him.

"Almost." Stiles plugs his phone into the dash and starts the playlist. The sound of "CALIFORNIAAAAAAAAAAAAA" fills the car. "Now we're ready."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: There is a section here (and there will probably be a few in the future) from Stiles' POV. The only time this happens is when Derek isn't around, in this case, when Stiles & Cora are at UCLA.**

* * *

Thanks to Stiles refusing to drink 7up (Sprite, or nothing, Derek, god), Isaac's tiny bladder (I do not have a tiny bladder. 'We've been in the car for 72 minutes.' And I have to go. That's normal), and Cora's need to play punch-buggy until they hit Bakersfield, what should have been a five hour drive, plus about an hour for lunch and ONE bathroom break, ends up being an eight and a half hour drive.

Derek officially hates teenagers.

He mostly hates the one who sat up front with him the entire drive. Stiles sprawls just as well in a car as he does anywhere else. But when he sleeps...his bottom lip sort of pouts open, like he's beckoning Derek, err anyone, closer. Stiles' limbs are still askew, but his breathing settles. As if that wasn't enough torture, Stiles doesn't go to sleep until after Isaac and Cora passed out on top of each other, in some sort of weird tangle of body parts that insured even as werewolves, they'd be waking up sore. He even switches the playlist before dozing off, turning on one that is full of nothing but Derek's favorites.

Some of the songs that are on the mix are ones Derek knows he never told Stiles about.

Derek gets an hour of peace before his pack wakes up again, and the chaos starts all over.

So when they finally arrive in Los Angeles and Derek checks them into two rooms at the Hotel Palomar, he easily convinces the others that showers and a second round of naps-short ones-are in order.

Both rooms have two double beds in them. The arrangement is that Isaac and Stiles will share one room and Derek will share with Cora. He's not naive enough to imagine it will stay that way, but he has to assume some level of responsibility. Derek has no interest in getting shot by the Sheriff.

Cora doesn't even try to argue with him, taking the key, with a 'whatever Der, just don't walk around naked', like he would ugh, seriously, Cora, and crashing on top of the comforter.

Derek refuses to touch more of a hotel comforter than he has to. He tries not to think about the fact that he's willingly lived in a burnt out wreck of a home and still has limits, whereas Cora barely registers dirt at all anymore, and she used to be his most fastidious little sister, freaking out if dirt got in her doll's hair.

Most of the time they both accept that shit happens, and you move on. Derek thinks that's actually why he has the pack that he does, and Scott has his.

Allison, Scott, Lydia, and even Ethan, all grew up pretty normally. (Danny doesn't count since he's really there by default). And then shit happened all at once and none of them reacted well to it at first.

On the other hand, Isaac grew up without a mom, spent most of his time alone, and from about eleven on, lived in a world where anything less than perfection got the shit kicked out of you.

Derek and Cora were born into a world that didn't know them, and the parts that did mostly wanted them dead. Paige and Kate and everything that followed were like giant fuck you bonuses from the universe.

Stiles would be the first to admit he didn't have it so hard, but he still aged fast when his mom died. Derek's overheard Isaac and Stiles talking before; Isaac thinks Stiles had it worse with the Sheriff, because John loves Stiles with all his heart, but was gone all the time because he didn't know how to show it, or how to mourn his wife. Stiles had argued once that that bullshit freezer means Isaac wins all arguments. Isaac's reply was that at least he'd always known how his dad felt about him. It was the conversation that cemented the friendship.

They're a foursome that learned a long time ago that life sucks, then you die, so fuck and make merry while you can.

All of that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt Derek when he wonders what happened to his sister in those six missing years. She doesn't talk about it. He barely talks about his side. It's just little moments like this, ones that are so out of character with the girl he knew, that it bothers him again.

Derek sighs. He really needs to stop being so fucking morbid. His jeans get dumped on the floor by his bed, but he keeps his t-shirt on. It'll make him run hotter than he prefers, making it much more likely he'll wake up at a normal hour.

He's out like a light almost as soon as his head hits the pillow.

When Derek wakes up, Cora's gone and his hand is resting on a piece of paper. The rustling noise is probably what woke him. He checks the clock by the bed to see that it's 9pm, so definitely later than he intended to sleep, and he flicks a light on to read the note.

'Hey sleepywolf,' it reads. 'Figured we'd let you sleep since you had to put up with all of us today. Don't expect to hear this a lot, but thanks. Isaac, Cora, and I are downstairs in the lobby. If you aren't up by 10, I'll be back to wake you so we can go eat. -Stiles'

That gives him enough time to shower, an option Derek is very happy about. He feels gross from being in the car all day and then falling asleep.

There's a full-size bottle of shampoo in the shower stall that he assumes Cora brought, but when Derek borrows some, the bottle smells distinctly of Stiles. Derek wasn't exactly planning on taking an extended shower, but his dick gives an interested twitch at the thought of Stiles. He tells himself no, he's going to take a shower, get dressed, and see what godforsaken guidebook place Isaac and Stiles have picked for dinner.

Except then Stiles is in his head again. Derek still remembers one of the rare times Stiles went shirtless around the pack. It had been pouring down rain the night of a co-pack game night, and Stiles was parked further away than normal, leaving him soaking wet.

Derek had taken one look at Stiles, dripping wet, little beads of condensation trailing along his collarbone, and promptly gone upstairs. Which turned out to do no good since Stiles followed him up to grab a shirt. It took everything in Derek's power to only watch the way the water glistened against Stiles' hips and not shove him against the wall and see where the water went.

He strokes his dick now without really even thinking about it, mind focusing on Stiles.

Because Stiles is scrappy and he fights and pushes at every turn but he's also deliciously pliant when he wants to be.

Derek thinks Stiles would be like that in the shower. Loose-limbed after a round of sex, pretending the shower was to get cleaned up, then leaning against the wall and crooking a finger at Derek.

Stiles would smirk at him, that stupid come-hither look that Derek still hasn't learned to fight.

He fists himself a little tighter, imagines pressing Stiles against the tiles, what it would feel like to rut against that perfectly taut ass. He wouldn't make Stiles wait either, he'd use his free hand to get Stiles off too.

Derek strokes faster, one hand braced against the shower wall, his breathing heavier. Fuck. He'd bring Stiles off first, then come all over his back, rubbing it in so any other wolf could scent his claim, before letting the water wash the evidence away. Derek moans, bites his wrist to keep from getting too loud in case anyone's come back upstairs.

He strokes harder, once, twice, then comes with a muffled cry and the image of Stiles' devilish grin.

Derek lets himself stay leaning on the wall, panting a little as he recovers, before he finishes his shower. He tries not to think anymore about how completely fucked he is.

Derek finds the others playing Uno in a corner of the lobby. He assumes it's a new game, seeing as no one's thrown a chair.

"No leather jacket?" snarks Stiles as Derek sits down.

"I can branch out. Unlike some people." He infuses his tone with as much sarcasm as he can muster while doing a onceover of Stiles' jeans, t-shirt, and plaid combo. Some things really never change.

"Uno?" Isaac's shuffling the cards, though the look on Cora's face said the game wasn't over and she knows that Isaac is, as usual, starting over to cover the fact that he was losing. They've learned not to start games until everyone is at the loft, otherwise Isaac always does this.

Derek shakes his head. "How about dinner? I'm starving."

"That's because you wouldn't eat any of the snacks I brought," replies Stiles.

"I ate the sunflower seeds and Allison's cookies."

"Yeah, during the first hour on the road."

"I was hungry."

"You have no self-control."

"Says the guy who turned the cheetos bag inside out and licked it to get all the chemical flavoring out."

Cora waves her hands in their faces. "Yo, Abbott and Costello! We're all hungry, it's been hours since any of us ate, so please take five minutes to stop being yourselves."

Derek apologizes and refocuses. "Alright, dinner. Any suggestions?"

"I want spaghetti," says Isaac. "With those big giant meatballs like out of Lady and the Tramp."

"Burgers and milkshakes," interjects Cora.

Stiles grins. "Mel's Drive-In is only a few minutes away and they have all of that."

Derek frowns. "Isn't that one of those touristy places?"

"But we are tourists," protests Isaac. "Also, food is food."

Derek's quickly out-voted-shockingly-but he keeps his grumbles to a minimum. Food is not always food, as anyone knows the first time they get food poisoning from a taco truck. But he figures even a diner can't mess up french fries, which is exactly what he's in the mood for.

"See, this isn't so bad," says Stiles, once they're inside and their order has been put in. The waitress is weirdly more polite with them and friendlier with other tables, but Derek was just chalking that up to the others probably being regulars.

"No, it's not bad at all." He's not lying. Everyone got to order exactly what they wanted. He got chili cheese fries and meatloaf. It's completely normal. He watches their waitress walk towards them, then back, then forward again. Derek finally waves her over. The odds are pretty good that she finds one of their group attractive. Who it is, he has no idea. No matter how awkward it is to think about, people hit on his sister all the time. Isaac's puppy dog eyes seem to win him a ridiculous number of admirers. At least he can understand why people smell like a brothel around Stiles. He's honestly surprised he doesn't smell the same half the time.

"Did you need to order something else?" she asks. Amber is the name on her tag.

Derek shakes his head. "No, thank you though. Amber, right? You just looked like you wanted to ask us something."

"Oh. Um, what brings you to Los Angeles?"

It's obviously not the question she wants to ask, but Isaac smiles brightly-he has the most fake genuine smile out of any of them-and answers. "We're looking at colleges."

Amber's eyes brighten just a bit. "Oh? Where are you attending?"

"We don't know yet. This is just a research trip, we haven't gotten all of our acceptance letters back, or decided on any one place for sure."

Derek's surprised to see how fast Amber's smile droops. "Oh. Oh so you aren't staying. Of course, that makes sense." The weird thing is that she seems to be looking at all of them and none of them, which doesn't hold up to his initial crush theory.

"Yeah, a few of our friends are going to UCLA and USC, but we're still figuring it out."

"Are your friends like...I mean, are they...um...?" Amber keeps hesitating.

Stiles makes a ridiculously awful imitation of a werewolf at her and Amber visibly sags in relief. "Yes."

Derek does a double-take. "You're not a wolf," he hisses.

Amber shakes her head and slides into the seat that Cora vacates. "No. My mom used to call it a spark. But I've always been jittery and all over the place and she says a pack can help with that."

"We can't be the first pack you've come across." Derek's careful to keep his voice low.

"You're not. But most don't have a spark and they don't understand us. I'm not useful like a druid."

"How did you know about me?" asks Stiles.

Amber taps his hand. "You fidget the same way I do, seemingly innocent but your hands shape runes. I only noticed because you did one when he," she points at Isaac, "spilled the salt."

"How can we help?" asks Derek.

"Is there any chance you'd be open to another spark?" asks Amber. "If your friends are also werewolves I mean."

Stiles is hesitant. "We have a unique situation, so I can't make promises for them. But I can call Alpha McCall and see if he'd be open to hearing what you have to say."

Derek is absurdly proud that Stiles is following protocol. It's not the biggest deal in this case, but it's still nice.

"That would be great," replies Amber. She's smart enough to get that the conversation is over then, and goes back to work.

Stiles texts Scott, and by the time the food comes out, they get his info to Amber. Derek's actually happy about it. He knows Scott has a thing about omegas, even those who aren't werewolf omegas, and working with Amber could help ease the transition in the fall, whether his pack is here too or not.

Amber leaves them alone for the rest of the night. The food is good, which makes Derek happy, and Stiles spends the night grinning and laughing and brushing Derek's arm as he steals his fries. Derek could get used to this.

Stiles happily sprawls out on the seat of the outdoor table Cora snagged on the UCLA campus. They've picked up smoothies from inside the student union building, or one of them, he's not really sure because UCLA's kind of big, and sat down to figure out if they've missed anything.

"I think it's safe to say we crammed as much as possible into three hours," he says as Cora joins him. "Did you get all your questions answered?"

Cora nods. "Yeah. But can I just say that while I knew Lydia was a genius, I didn't realize she was the kind of genius that has people sucking up to her friends for a good report."

Stiles shrugs. "I didn't really expect all the extra attention either. But it sure was nice. Especially the vouchers that got us free food."

Cora holds up her smoothie in a cheers motion to signal her agreement. The admissions department and campus tour guide were perfectly nice and informative, but the minute they hit the physics department-what Lydia plans to focus on-the red carpet was rolled out. Stiles knows that Lydia's chosen the school already, but she's been cagey with the schools until she has to accept, trying to see which one can offer her the best education and opportunities. So when he said they were wanting some information for a friend who had applied, and answered the following question of who, the department went all out to woo them in hopes of a good report.

"So do you think you'd go here?" asks Cora.

"I think I could make it work if everyone else wants to go to school in LA."

"But?"

"But nothing about UCLA says I have to go here, this is where I could be happy."

Cora nods. "That's kind of how I feel. But we do have other schools to look at and more sightseeing to do."

"Exactly," agrees Stiles. "I'm not going to dismiss the city based on one college campus. Speaking of, we both have other schools to get to before meeting Derek and Isaac."

Derek finds a coffee shop near the International Culinary School that Isaac is considering-he couldn't tag along on the tour-and texts Isaac directions for whenever he's done.

The cafe he's at, Funnel Mill, seems a bit intense about the taste and flavor of coffee, but Derek figures it's worth it when he takes his first sip. He likes his coffee black anyway, but usually sticks to cheaper blends at home since his pack drinks so much of it. This however...this is definitely magical. He possibly moans in a distinctly Stiles like fashion over how good it is. Derek's on his third cup, each time trying a new blend, when Isaac joins him.

"That good, huh?" Isaac's smirking at him and Derek doesn't even care.

"It's like heaven in a mug."

"It's coffee, dude."

"Let me guess, you stuck with your boring old soy latte."

"Yes, because black coffee shows the soul of a true adventurer."

Derek sticks his tongue out at Isaac in a sign of maturity. He also has no qualms about being unbearably smug for a few minutes when Isaac makes a similar moan over his latte. "So, what'd you think of the school?"

"It's nice," shrugs Isaac.

"That's it? Just nice?"

"I don't know. I like the idea of learning, but I don't think there's really that big of a difference in culinary schools. At least for what I want to do."

Derek's curious. "What do you want to do?"

"Like in the fall or after school?"

"After."

Isaac brightens. "I want to open a bakery. Something near our end of town, but not for like catering and stuff like the one I work at now. I want it to be more of a cafe, with pastries and artisan breads and soup du jours. And it'd have live music some nights and books that people can read whenever they come in and be open 24/7, because people deserve to have a refuge at 3am."

Derek loves it. And says as much to Isaac. He can already seeing it be a place where the pack would hang out all the time and it'd be a great way to be a part of the town without having to be at the whim of an employer.

"Isaac, promise me that when you're ready to do this, you let me help financially. I don't have to have any say in how you run the cafe, but let me make sure you can have the business you want and not be worried about money."

"You'd do that?"

"You're practically my little brother Isaac," replies Derek. "Of course I would."

Isaac positively beams and spends their subsequent drive to USC's campus listening to all of Isaac's ideas for the future.

They meet back up with Cora and Stiles at USC, and are quickly caught up on everyone's opinion so far.

Cora has no interest in Pepperdine, declaring it to have a very clear image that it wants to project and that she definitely doesn't fit. When the others start to protest that she can go anywhere, Cora quickly clarifies that it's not about whether she'd be accepted. She doesn't want to fit in at the school, it doesn't match her personality, and she feels the areas she wants to work in might not be as accessible.

The religious affiliations weren't an issue for her, but Cora explains that she felt like she'd be easily missed if she left, and she needs to be able to visit her pack on a regular basis.

Derek can't help but smile to himself about that. He's not a fan of LA at all, though he's been keeping silent on the matter, and the more schools that don't work out, the better.

Stiles seems excited about Whittier's collaborative degree program and the opportunities to hybridize a study program that fits exactly what he wants.

It doesn't sound like much else appealed to him, but Derek plans to wait until later to get the final verdicts from his pack. Isaac catches Cora and Stiles up on his school visits, then they all map out a quick walkthrough of USC.

Derek is eternally grateful that no one cares about spending too much time on the USC campus. He's glad Scott's pack already has their college plans worked out, but he knows no one in his pack has any intention of going to school at USC.

Ethan and Scott are in on lacrosse scholarships, Danny and Lydia will be at UCLA, and Allison is reworking the Hunter's Code and pulling them together under her leadership. She has big plans for Los Angeles.

Nothing about the campus fits Isaac, Cora, or Stiles though, and Derek is unfairly glad that he won't have to visit.

After ordering coffee drinks in the Student Union building, the walk through is brief. Stiles picks up any relevant pamphlets he finds, including one looking for a rec league instructor for archery for Allison, while Cora and Isaac take pictures and jot down notes about any details they think might be interesting for Scott that wouldn't be in an admissions packet.

Derek technically ends up holding onto all the flyers and brochures, as Stiles hands them off almost as soon as he picks one up. He'd be more frustrated, but it's kind of sweet the way Stiles just expects Derek to be there, like he knows Derek won't go far away from them.

When Cora flops onto a bench in one of the campus parks-and really, how many parks does a single campus need, because this is ridiculous-and declares the college tours over, Derek breathes a sigh of relief. His suggestion that they spend the evening at the Santa Monica pier is unanimously approved, and they're in the car only a few minutes later.

* * *

**Notes: This does not make me miss college hunting at all. FYI.**

**I'm pretty sure this chapter has my first ever masturbation scene in it. Which should explain why it is so short.**

**Mel's Diner is really good. I mean, it's not going to blow your mind, but honestly I think there are very few guidebook places that make you go 'wow, I would have been so upset if I missed that'. Most of the time, some places are good, some are bad, and a lot of the best ones are more about the people you're with. I personally appreciate Mel's because one time I was in LA with friends and we got split up (my fault, I was talking to these really hot guys about their tats and it was with more conservative friends who got uncomfortable cuz they're tightasses so I said I'd catch up and an hour went by) and anyway, I ended up ordering food at Mel's and having to chill for like 3 hours in the middle of the night until my friend came and picked me up. And the waitresses were total sweethearts about it.**

**UCLA is a pretty campus (imo). Pepperdine is GORGEOUS but for real, you're either a Pepperdine type student or you're not. There's no like get my degree and do my own thing. But so pretty. Campus housing has the kind of views people would kill for. USC doesn't really have THAT many parks, but I still remember in the span of like a ten minute walk being told the new name of like five different parks or quads way back in the day when I visited the campus and thinking, wow, this is ridic.**

**I probably didn't say ridic. I probably said like trippin' or something. Old school.**

**Was anyone else hella craving Chinese food after chapter 1? Sorry, not sorry, and I still want egg rolls.**

**Actually, there's a lot of food in this story.**

**So, I have this thing about cities. There are places you visit and feel no connection with, there are ones that grow on you over time, and then there are the ones you fall in love with from day one. **


	3. Chapter 3

Derek lucks out with his suggestion; spring break means everything on the pier is open and open late, so they aren't limited to only a few activities.

He buys everyone snack food to tide them over, and then they meander their way around. Cora insists on riding the carousel, and so Stiles ducks into a random store and comes out with a plastic tiara that he promptly sticks on Cora's head and declares her Princess of the Pier. Derek and Isaac both gallantly play along and ride as her knights on the carousel. Stiles spams everyone's instagram feed with pictures of the event.

Afterwards, Isaac argues that if Cora gets a tiara, they all should get hats. Derek offers to buy him a plushy hat shaped like a lobster.

Isaac is not amused. Stiles is greatly amused.

They end up only getting a baseball cap that says "Santa Monica Pier" on it for Stiles and a fedora for Isaac that everyone promptly bans him from wearing around them. Cora takes far more pictures than purchased hats, until Lydia calls and begs her to stop.

When they reach the game section, Isaac and Cora split off to try their hand at ring toss and smashing bottles. Derek tries pointing out that it's actually just about knocking over bottles, to which Cora grins broadly and says "not the way I play the game". Derek shakes his head in sympathy for the unsuspecting carnie and follows Stiles to some sort of squirt gun race game.

Stiles wins, gleefully dances around in victory, in a way that absolutely does not turn Derek on, and chooses a small stuffed cat that he hands to Derek.

"No wolf?" asks Derek. Stiles is always giving him wolf-themed stuff. Derek pretends to hate it but he has a chest under his bed that stores everything Stiles ever gives him. It's normal and not creepy adorable, despite what Cora or Scott say. Scott wasn't even supposed to be in his room that day anyway.

Stiles shrugs. "They didn't have a wolf I liked. Plus cats are your favorite."

Derek takes it and lets his fingers linger just a bit against Stiles' hand. "They are. Thanks."

He annihilates the dart game that Stiles chooses next, and picks out a plush fox as his prize, which he promptly gives to Stiles. He'd mentioned to Derek once that his mom's favorite animal was a fox, and that Stiles thinks if he's ever brave enough to get past his fear of needles that he'll get a tattoo of one in remembrance of her.

Stiles doesn't say anything about the fox but he squeezes Derek's fingers as he takes it and Derek knows how to accept an unspoken thank you.

They meet Isaac and Cora at the ferris wheel. No one can really pick who they want to ride with. Well, Derek would be fine riding with Stiles and Stiles only. But Cora wants to ride with him too and so does Stiles and then Isaac pouts about being just the beta and not family or Stiles to which Cora elbows Isaac and Derek quickly promises to ride with everyone at least once.

He doesn't pretend they're all disasters, because they're not and he loves his pack, but he doesn't let on how happy it makes him feel that they all fight over their alpha. None of their lives have been normal, by human or werewolf standards, and it took a long time and a lot of hard work to get to this level of trust and friendship. Derek relishes every bit of it. Even if words still fail him a lot, he tries to let his actions show that he cares.

Derek spends his turn with Cora bantering and then bickering about his feelings for Stiles and the way she and Isaac overshare about their relationship all. the. time. It feels nice, like what he always wished he had with Laura and thought he missed the chance at with Cora after the fire.

Laura was the next Hale alpha and she was going on negotiations with their mother by the time she was sixteen and Derek had still been too young to have much interest in hanging around his big sister. Then the fire happened and Laura was hard and bitter one moment, then far more broken than he could ever be the next and Derek spent years blaming himself.

He still carries his own guilt over the fire, but he thinks sometimes that he should thank Allison for showing him that pain and loss don't change a person completely. Laura was always strong but brittle, like she expected to break even with her pack around her. He's always been a loner, he just used the fire as a way to justify it. Allison believes in the goodness of people and while she lost sight of it for a while, he can tell she still believes that. It was a moment of relief when he realized he hadn't destroyed Laura.

Cora spends the ferris wheel ride laughing and teasing and full of smiles and Derek can't help but think how lucky he is that she's back in his life.

Stiles spends the ride making up stories about their recently won stuffed animals, a meandering tale that sounds like a hybrid of The Fox and the Hound and Bambi, specifically the twitterpated parts of the latter.

Derek gives in when they reach the top, taking his wolf back and putting his voice down to a low growl as he instructs the fox to come see the view from the top of the mountain, making his animal dance on the edge of the seat.

Stiles lights up at his antics and presses his leg against Derek even as his upper body turns to continue the game.

Isaac is cuddly on his turn, curling up against Derek and pointing out constellations in the night sky.

Derek listens and reflects on the way that each of his pack members wanting to take a turn with their alpha shows why he and Scott have the packmates that they do.

Isaac had flirted with the idea of being in Scott's pack throughout the alpha pack situation, only to realize that he needed more than Scott could offer. No, that's wrong. Derek corrects his thoughts. Isaac needed different. He'd been an afterthought to the people around him for a long time, but Isaac craved someone who cared about him at all times.

Scott tends to be focused. You can tell him another person needs him and he'll focus on them, but Scott is an all or nothing kind of alpha. It's why Lydia and Allison and Danny and by proxy Ethan all work well in his pack. They have their own interests and don't need the more traditional comforts of pack. In contrast, Stiles and Isaac wish for that attention and affection, but they don't need to be his singular focus. Cora of course is drawn to family.

Derek's happy now, happy that he and Scott managed to work things out and figure out the best way to co-Alpha Beacon Hills, happy that he has the best pack members.

He wraps an arm around Isaac and pulls him a little closer, ruffling his hair as he does so. Isaac snuggles and wrongly identifies Orion.

"So dinner?" questions Stiles when Isaac and Derek find them after everyone's gone around the ferris wheel. Cora's perched on the edge of a fence, one hand on Stiles' shoulder to keep her balance.

"What sounds good?" asks Derek.

"Anything. I'm starved."

"You're always starving, Isaac. You have hollow legs, I swear."

"I don't want greasy food," interjects Cora. "But I'm also really hungry."

Stiles pulls out his phone and taps on it for a minute. "There's a sushi place a couple blocks away. We could go there."

Derek nods. "Done."

* * *

Sugarfish ends up being an excellent choice. The sushi restaurant is busy but the wait isn't long for a table.

"I know I want yellowtail," says Stiles as he browses the menu. "But I feel like variety. Any chance we can all order different things and try each other's?"

"I'm up for that." Cora looks up from her menu. "As long as there's crab involved somewhere."

Once the drinks are served, Derek talks to the waiter for a few minutes about the best options for their group and after another conference with the manager, they choose the party size Trust Me platter. It's designed for ten people, which should be perfect for three werewolves and a teenage boy.

Their waiter seems incredulous that anyone could eat that much, but the order goes in.

Stiles leans over when the waiter leaves. "Do you want me to pitch in for my share? Dad gave me some extra money for the trip."

Derek shakes his head. "Use your money for the times we aren't all together. I can afford it."

"I know," replies Stiles. "But I feel more comfortable offering."

"I appreciate that. I really do. Maybe think of it as a pack thing? An alpha is supposed to provide for their pack, and you're part of it." Derek knows Stiles likes to contribute and he does in many ways, but money has never come easy to the Stilinski family. The insurance money from Stiles' mother's death paid off their house and enough was set aside in a trust for Stiles' college fund, but the day to day expenses can still be a struggle on a single income.

Stiles knows Derek's situation too however, that the death of his family made Derek, Laura, and Peter millionaires several times over. Derek and Laura spent very little of it after the fire, only buying an apartment and paying for Peter's care. What Derek had access to he invested, wisely it turned out, and then Peter's death last year nearly doubled his and Cora's finances. It turned out Peter had quite the policy.

Neither Derek nor Cora like to focus on their wealth, quality brands on their clothing and the newer cars tend to be the only signs of it, but he could buy out Jackson & Lydia's families several times over. Most of the time it matters little, but he likes being able to take care of his pack, and not worry about at least one aspect of their lives.

So Stiles nods. "Okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Derek knows nothing more will be said about it, but he makes a note to keep the rest of their meals less spendy, so as not to make Stiles uncomfortable.

It won't be hard, he's just as much a greasy burger and french fries guy as the rest of his pack.

Cora flicks a piece of edamame at him. "Earth to the serious twins. Isaac and I were just discussing tomorrow's plans."

"I thought we were going to Disneyland."

Cora sighs as though he's utterly exasperating. Pot, meet kettle. "We are. But obviously we can't go on everything, so we need a game plan."

"Everyone pick two rides they want to go on. We'll do those first, then go from there," suggests Stiles.

"That's a really smart idea," says Isaac, a bit incredulously.

Stiles sticks his tongue out at him and Derek mentally sighs at the immaturity of his pack. "Gee, thanks for the compliment, I just feel all warm and fuzzy now."

Isaac huffs. "That's not what I meant."

Stiles stands up, leans over the table and kisses Isaac's cheek. "I know, pup."

"Oh my god stop calling me pup."

"Children behave," interrupts Cora in a cloying voice.

Derek wonders if anyone will notice if he hides under the table until they're through. Instead he tries to redirect. "I want Space Mountain and Splash Mountain for my choices."

"You would pick the roller coasters," snorts Cora. "Fine, I want to go on the Alice in Wonderland tea cups and the Matterhorn."

"Indiana Jones and Star Wars," picks Stiles.

"Peter Pan ride," says Isaac. "And...Star Wars."

"We're already going on that one for Stiles."

"So we can go twice," says Isaac and high-fives Stiles over the table.

Derek sighs. "Great, we've decided. Can we finish eating now?"

They demolish the rest of the platters, leaving only one final piece left when the waiter returns to clear dishes. He seems astonished, only more so when Cora declares that she can't let that piece be lonely and pops it in her mouth as he grabs the plate.

Derek leaves a substantial tip and even decides to be nice enough to pull the car around and pick everyone up.

* * *

Once at the hotel, Derek and Stiles stay downstairs to talk while Isaac and Cora are in Stiles/Isaac's room, declaring a need for a little private time, and since Stiles can't smell anything, it's better to use that room.

Stiles is getting tired, so he's quieter and soft spoken and Derek feels reflective. He finds them a quiet corner to hang out in for the next hour.

Derek makes Stiles a cup of tea just the way he likes it with mint steeped for three minutes and ginger steeped for one and 2 honey packets with every last drop of honey squeezed out. He brings it over with his own cup of whatever green tea was available and hands it to Stiles.

Stiles takes a sip and smiles at him. "You know me so well. Am I that predictable?"

"Not predictable. I've just been paying attention."

"Yeah, you do that a lot," says Stiles in a warm tone.

Derek looks at him as he sits down on the couch. This is one of his favorite versions of Stiles, the one that doesn't hide behind sarcasm and gives fully genuine smiles and his eyes are bright and welcoming. It's never hard to pay attention to Stiles. He says as much as he leans over to set his mug on the end table.

Stiles catches his wrist as he's moving back to his seat. "Derek," he says softly, like it's a question and a command all in one.

Derek looks at Stiles and his big brown eyes and parted lips and he doesn't really know what his usual arguments are anymore, so he leans in a little further and kisses him.

Stiles kisses back, tender but insistent, his tongue flicking on the edge of Derek's lips, asking for permission to take the kiss further.

Derek braces one hand on the arm of the couch and uses the other to cup the back of Stiles' neck, tilting his head just so. He answers by pushing his own tongue into Stiles' mouth, exploring and claiming and tasting. Stiles kisses with fervor now, hands a solid heat on Derek's hips, and he makes the tiniest of moans against Derek's mouth.

Derek doesn't really pull away, but he moves to kiss the edge of Stiles' jaw, then make his way down Stiles' neck, sucking harder when he reaches the collar bone.

"God, this trip just hit perfect," breathes Stiles, tugging at Derek's hair and bringing him up to kiss again.

The words make Derek freeze. This trip. Because that's the problem isn't it? They're on a trip and he's not going to say whatever Stiles is feeling isn't real, but what happens after they leave if he keeps going? He can't let Stiles change his plans for him, Stiles is smart and he deserves to go to college and be young and carefree and Derek knows Stiles, knows Stiles would sacrifice it all if he thought it would make Derek happy.

So he pulls away and shuts down. "I can't do this. I'm...I'm sorry, Stiles. This was a bad idea."

"Um, oh...okay. I...thanks for the tea, I guess...um, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go."

Derek doesn't look at Stiles, though he can hear the sounds of Stiles' voice breaking as he leaves and Derek hates himself a little more. He gives Stiles a head start, then takes the stairs to his own room, not wanting to talk to anyone. The elevator must take a while, because Derek has to duck against the wall at the end of the hallway as Stiles makes his way to the room.

He can smell the tears on Stiles' face more than he can actually see him. Stiles bangs on the door to his room and a moment later Cora throws it open with an exasperated "Wha..." that dies on her lips. "Oh honey," she says, pulling Stiles into her arms and into the room.

As soon as the door shuts, Derek races down the hall and into his own room. He strips and crawls into bed, muffling his sobs into his pillow. He never meant to hurt Stiles. Ever. Stiles is everything to Derek and that terrifies him. Paige was that sort of innocent puppy love and Kate was a disaster but Derek thinks if he gave it a chance, he'd never get over Stiles

He isn't looking for a few dates, he wants forever, and he doesn't think that's fair to Stiles.

Not when Stiles' future is bright and the whole world is at his fingertips and Derek cries because he knows he just fucked up everything.

He cries himself to sleep and when Cora wakes him up by coming back in the room at 2am, he shakes in her arms and tries to believe her when she says it will all be okay.

* * *

**Sugarfish sushi is really good y'all. I highly recommend if you're in the LA area.**

**This is a minimally angsty story. But obviously these boys have to talk things out and get a move on with their awesome selves so I had to have a teensy bit of angst. Also, if you think they are both kind of melodramatic about a kiss, that is true. In my experience with brothers and guy friends and boyfriends, guys turn into total drama queens when they're tired. Like, it's ridiculous.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Beginning notes: So the two conversations in this chapter are ones that I really want to happen more often in fic, so naturally I wrote them instead of waiting around for someone else to do it. But to share both of them, I kinda had to flip around different POVs. Please forgive me.**

**I've never been to Disneyland, just Disneyworld. I have no idea how well the pack could get around to each ride but just go with it please.**

* * *

To say Disneyland is a disaster is a bit of an overstatement but it's not that far off the mark. Everyone ends up eating breakfast on their own, only meeting up in the car. Stiles sits with Cora in the back and only acknowledges Derek when he has to.

Derek just grips the steering wheel tighter and pretends he's not still falling apart. He can do this. Stiles will just hate him but they'll get through this trip and then Stiles will leave for Scott's pack and Derek will never see him again and...

Cora's hand touches his and he realizes he's denting the steering wheel.

They map out their rides with a park map upon arrival, choosing to do one of each person's choices, then going through the second choices. It's not the most economical method, which Derek points out, then shuts up when Stiles argues that at least this way everyone will get a say instead of their preferences trampled on.

He appreciates the glare Isaac gives Stiles. Not that it changes much.

Throughout the day Cora and Isaac talk to him and Stiles, laugh with them, but Stiles never says a word to Derek and Derek doesn't know where to start to talk to Stiles.

The double round on the Star Wars ride is one of the last stops of the day. It's late afternoon and by unanimous agreement, no one is interested in the evening parade, repeating rides, or waiting for the fireworks.

Derek thinks they might have chosen differently but it seems no one wants to prolong the oh so fun attitude of the day any longer than necessary.

"Stiles and Isaac can go the second time around alone," says Cora decisively as they exit the Star Wars ride's gift shop. She had to drag all three boys away from the Boba Fett helmet.

"Why?" asks Stiles, though he doesn't look at Derek when he asks.

"Because Derek and I are going to have some sibling bonding time and I don't care that much about a galaxy far far away."

"Heathen."

Cora hits Stiles, just enough to bruise. "Moron." Derek scuffs the ground with his shoe while they bicker. Cora shoves Stiles towards Isaac. "See, Isaac's already in line. Follow."

Stiles does, grumbling the entire way, and meets Isaac at the end of the line.

Isaac jumps up on the railing and swings his legs up so he's pinning Stiles between them. "Long line huh."

"Yes. What are you doing?"

"Well, I just figured since we have so much time to kill, you and I could have a little talk."

Stiles frowns, tries to duck around Isaac's legs, then outright glares when he can't get away. "I am upset and hurt right now, Isaac. Can't you just be supportive while I wallow?"

"I did that last night. Bought you all the ice cream in the hotel gift shop and then ginger ale when you puked because you ate too much. But we're all stuck together for another week, so we're going to talk."

"Fine. Should we talk about how Derek finally kissed me? Or how he called me a bad idea and ran away a minute later? Or how he's been pouting all day like I'm the bad guy? And when he's not pouting he's got this puppy dog face of guilt that I can't fix because I didn't start anything and I sure as hell didn't break anything?" Stiles' voice gets a little hysterical by the end, judging by the number of odd looks they get from people near them.

Isaac kicks Stiles.

"Um, OW!"

"I don't care who started or ended whatever dance number you two are on this week. I want to know why you're letting him get away with it."

Stiles gapes. "Excuse me?"

"Stiles, you push Derek constantly. The only thing I've ever seen you back away from are your mutual feelings for each other." Isaac slides off the railing and moves further up the line with Stiles. He doesn't pin him in again, figuring Stiles won't run away now. "Why are you letting him dictate this part of your relationship when you've never let him off so easy before?"

"Because it's not the same. There's more to consider when it comes to a romantic relationship with Derek. I don't want to push too far after all he's been through."

"So don't take advantage. You can still talk to Derek without bringing Kate and Paige into it. Or at least not letting them rule the conversation."

Stiles sighs heavily. "How? I don't even know where to begin."

"You could start with understanding that Derek is a bit melodramatic," suggests Isaac.

"Derek's the most stoic person I know."

"Yeah. But he always jumps to the worst possible situation." Isaac thinks for a minute, figuring out the best example. "Okay, remember when you and Scott first brought up splitting into two packs instead of trying to get them to get along at the level they would need to in order to co-alpha?"

Stiles nods and moves up a few steps in line. "Uh-huh."

"Right, so you guys suggested it and what did Derek do after the meeting?"

Stiles pauses and considers. "Oh. He started packing. Saying he'd leave and make it easy, that he knew we were just trying to soften the blow." Stiles gets a bit heated. "Yeah, because he was sure that I was going with Scott and that you were and of course Cora would go with you, saying all that stuff about how could she choose the brother who never looked for her and Scott was better for us anyway. Idiot."

Isaac grins. "He was an idiot. He still is on things like that. Look, Stiles, I'm not going to pretend I know the best way for you and Derek to work out your shit. But he always jumps to the worst possible scenario. So let's go over it and see if we can figure out where he might've leaped to this time. What happened exactly?"

"We were kissing. And Derek was really gentle, like really gentle and tender and..."

"Overshare with Scott, not me."

"Sorry. Okay so kissing and then I said something about this making the trip perfect and then Derek pulled away and said he couldn't do this and it was a bad idea."

Isaac makes a face at the kid behind them when he pushes Isaac to move up. "Think it through. What's likely to have been Derek's overreaction there?"

"He thinks I wasn't serious? Or maybe he isn't serious? You think he didn't mean it?!"

"Breathe, Stiles. Look, maybe we can't figure out the why on our own. The point is that you should still talk to Derek. Be honest with him about what you want out of a relationship and make him be honest with you. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but you both need to know what's going on." Isaac does his best to emphasize the seriousness of the matter. "We're pack no matter what. So don't make it more awkward than it needs to be."

Stiles settles down. "You're right. Derek and I just need to find some time to talk. How'd you get to be so wise anyway? Did you and Cora talk everything out before you got together?"

Isaac laughs. "No, we killed Kali, got drunk off wolfsbane infused tequila and fucked in the back of Derek's car."

"Seriously?!"

"Yup. Then we kept hooking up and after a few weeks she said she didn't feel like hooking up with anyone else and I said I'd probably be a really cheesy boyfriend and want to split milkshakes and shit like that. She said okay and that was that."

"You two baffle me."

"Don't get me wrong, we still have our issues. But we usually fight about it, then we have really awesome makeup sex, and then we actually talk it out. I'm sure you and Derek can work through your drama too."

Stiles hugs him like some sort of weird monkey, wrapping his limbs around Isaac. "You're kinda the best dude."

Isaac peels Stiles off him. "Thanks. Enough sappy shit though. What color lightsaber should I get in the giftshop at the end of the ride?"

"I'm getting purple."

"Like Mace Windu?"

"No, like Mara Jade. That chick is badass."

* * *

Derek lets Cora drag him away from Stiles and Isaac. It hurts just as much to leave Stiles alone while he's mad at him as it does to actually be around him. Cora walks determinedly through the crowds, cutting around families and stupid happy couples kissing, tugging him along behind her until they reach the gate for the Riverboat Cruise.

Once they're onboard and sitting on a bench in a quiet area of the boat, Cora hits him on the back of the head.

"Ow! What the fuck?!"

"You're an idiot."

"Gee, thanks. I really appreciate all the sympathy from my sister," snaps Derek. He folds his arms but absolutely does not pout. His lower lip has always jutted out like this.

Cora sighs. "Okay look. All I managed to get out of Stiles last night in between his sobs, stuffing his face with ice cream, and insisting he hated you despite his heartbeat clearly declaring that to be a lie, was that you two were making out and then you cut it off. Explain."

"No."

"I can make you," she threatens.

Derek reconsiders because Cora did grow up with Laura and himself around as older siblings and she really did learn from the best. "Fine. He said it made the trip perfect. The trip, Cora. Like this is just some stupid spring break fling."

"Did Stiles say he only wanted to kiss or whatever over the trip and that was it?"

"Well, no."

"So how do you know that's all he wants?"

Derek twists towards his sister. "Because Stiles is barely eighteen freaking years old, Cora. I mean, what if he does want to keep going? I'm just supposed to give up on whatever relationship we manage to start? Or worse, force him to stay in it? He's going to college and he deserves to be a typical college student and then move on with his life somewhere better than Beacon Hills. Just like you."

Cora puts a hand on his knee and it feels a little condescending but he likes the comfort so he leans in a little. "Derek, I love you, I really do, but you need to ask Stiles what he wants. For one, I happen to know that Stiles plans to return to Beacon Hills. He wants to follow in his dad's footsteps and become a Sheriff. Which you'd know if you stopped tuning out whenever he brings up the future. Second, why do you keep thinking we're going to leave you now that we're graduating? We picked you as alpha and we're not giving up on you. Ever."

"I...I..."

"Aw, c'mere ya big baby," Cora wraps her arms around him. Derek snuffles a little against her neck. "You're stuck with us for good."

It takes several moments before Derek recovers enough to speak. "I don't want to hold Stiles back."

Cora smiles and pets his hair. She's so much like their mother sometimes. "So don't. Just be honest about what you want and what you don't want and then really listen to what Stiles has to say in return. If that means you aren't together yet, so be it. But you two at least need to make the decision together."

"How'd you get to be so smart?"

Cora laughs. "I had good examples to follow."

Derek rests his head on her shoulder and tries to settle his heart again. They stay on the boat for a couple rides worth of time, then the sun starts setting and Cora deems it time to find Isaac and Stiles, take that group ride on the Small World ride they all agreed to, then head back to the hotel before an early day tomorrow.

"Isaac and I will ride together up front," declares Cora once they reach the front of the line to the Small World ride.

Isaac smirks at Derek as he follows his girlfriend, though Derek notices Isaac nudging Stiles a bit.

Derek finally looks at Stiles, really looks at him, for the first time today. "Um. Do you want...? Or I guess I can ride in the back." He hesitates and ignores the glare of the ride worker.

"Don't be ridiculous," says Stiles. "We can both sit together. Just get on the damn ride."

Derek slides in after Stiles. There's not a ton of room, his bulk and Stiles' natural sprawl-contained though it is right now-take up most of the seat. He tries to give Stiles as much space as he can anyway.

Ahead of them, Isaac and Cora are talking softly, their heads bent together. Derek would have to use his werewolf hearing to listen, which he does, but only long enough to know they aren't talking about Stiles and himself. He appreciates the consideration. Derek can only take so much butting in by his sister and beta in one day.

He tries not to be too obvious about watching Stiles, who keeps fidgeting, opening and closing his mouth like he wants to say something but doesn't know where to start.

Derek bites the bullet for both of them. "Can we talk? Please."

Stiles sighs heavily and nods. "Yeah, I think we should. Not here though."

"No, I mean, yeah, okay. Um, we could talk at the hotel?"

Stiles pales briefly. "I don't think so."

"I'm sorry, Stiles. I really am," tries Derek, hoping he can indicate his regret.

"I appreciate that, Derek. I do. And I agree that we need to talk and figure this out." Stiles reaches out and puts a hand on Derek's arm, and Derek realizes it's the first time Stiles has touched him in 19 hours and the thought that he might lose this nearly breaks him. He finally registers that Stiles is continuing and tunes back in. "I'm still upset, Derek. And I don't want to say anything I'll regret, so can we have this conversation tomorrow?"

Derek agrees instantly. He'll agree to anything if he gets a chance to explain. "Of course. Anything you need, Stiles, I swear."

Stiles seems to soften a little bit, and he squeezes Derek's arm before moving his hand. He nudges Cora. "You guys okay with picking up food on the way home instead of going out to dinner somewhere? I was thinking we could watch a movie at the hotel and get some rest before tomorrow's drive."

"Sounds great," says Cora with a smile. "Everyone else okay with that?"

Isaac nods. Derek really loves that Isaac is so easygoing. He makes it easier to deal with pack issues. Which usually boil down to Stiles and Derek issues.

"We could get In & Out?" suggests Derek. It's Stiles' favorite and they haven't actually gone there yet. The nearest one to Beacon Hills is about ninety minutes away and with all the craziness, the time to get away is rare. Derek makes a mental note to try going on weekends more often before everyone goes to college.

"I'd like that," says Stiles.

Derek tries not to hug him for meeting him halfway.

"Now I'm craving a milkshake," says Cora.

"Think it'll bring the boys to the yard?" laughs Isaac.

"I think it's already brought one boy," snickers Cora.

Derek groans. "Oh god can we not?"

A second later a voice comes from the three little kids sitting in the back of the boat. "Yes, please can we not?"

Derek turns with the rest of his pack to the trio, none of whom can be more than ten years old, but who have thoroughly exasperated looks.

"You people are insane," says the boy.

The girl on the right rolls her eyes. "I've seen less drama on Gossip Girl."

"Aren't you too young to be watching that?" asks Stiles.

"Aren't you too old for that shirt?" returns the girl.

"Hey! Batman is awesome." Stiles has his truly offended tone. He really is absurdly proud of that shirt.

"Batman's a pampered rich boy who'd get his ass kicked all over Gotham City if he ever met Captain America," she snaps.

Derek buries his head in his hands and does his best to ignore the ensuing argument for the rest of the ride. Stiles continues waxing poetic about the skills of Batman and the entire Batmanverse long after they've dragged him away from the kids-with apologies to the laughing parents-back to the car and while on the road. Stiles stops when they get their food, and that's really only because Cora shoves a fistful of French fries in his mouth and declares enough.

* * *

**End notes: Isaac gets a green lightsaber because Luke's first one was green and inherited from his dad.**

**Isaac and Cora talked at breakfast and plotted how to deal with Derek and Stiles.**

**I want In & Out really bad. Like, really really bad. The closest one is 4 ½ hours away. That's totally worth a day trip right? Animal style grilled cheese is the bomb.**

**I really didn't start this story with the intent of having so much food involved. But I don't see it stopping anytime soon because San Francisco has delicious food and then there's Portland and the coast which are some of my favorite places with fabulous yumminess. Sorry not sorry.**

**In case you're overly worried about the light-heartedness, Derek and Stiles will in fact be working things out next chapter and I think you'll all be happy.**


	5. Chapter 5

Derek feels slightly better Sunday morning. He's still nervous as hell about talking to Stiles, mostly because no matter what Cora seems to think, Derek knows Stiles has big dreams and there probably still isn't a future for them. But Stiles ordered the breakfast platter with bacon instead of sausage, even though Stiles is weirdly picky and won't eat bacon unless it's cooked by his dad, and then put the pieces on Derek's plate.

It's not a fix but it's a start and that's enough.

Cora and Isaac are perceptive enough to help the situation, with Cora stretching out across the backseat, her feet in Stiles' lap, while Isaac sits up front with Derek for the first part of the drive.

They head up along the San Luis Obispo byway. The Hales used to have a beach house there, though Derek's parents sold it before he hit junior high. Still, he thought the scenic route would be nice, and it wasn't like they had to rush to get up to San Francisco too early.

Isaac seems content to doze through the drive. Cora watches the scenery as much as Derek, only turning away when Stiles laughs at the book he's reading and startles her.

The drive is quiet, but the tension is minimal. Derek feels like he can breathe a little easier.

They stop a little ways past San Luis Obispo-the city-for coffee, then Derek drives over to the beach. Cora takes Isaac along for a walk, leaving Derek and Stiles alone.

"Can we talk now?" asks Derek. "If not, I'll just walk along the beach for a little while and leave you to read."

Stiles gives him a half-smile. "Talking would be good. Maybe we could sit? Closer to the water I mean?"

Derek nods. Thank god Stiles isn't pushing him away. "Of course," he says, trying to keep his tone even.

Once they're sitting down, close enough that the edges of the furthest reaching waves can touch Stiles' toes but not so close they're in danger of getting too wet, Stiles turns to Derek. "I have things I want to say, but I'd like to know why you pushed me away Friday night first. I just...I thought we took a step towards something really great Derek. And it hurt, a lot, when you called me a bad idea. So I really need you to explain that."

"You aren't a bad idea, Stiles," assures Derek hurriedly. Shit, is that what Stiles thinks? "That's not what I meant at all. God, you're never a bad idea."

"Um, thanks. I guess. That doesn't really help the confusion."

Derek takes a deep breath. "I wanted to kiss you. I still want to kiss you. I mean...fuck Stiles...I pretty much always want to be touching you or around you. You cared about me when I thought I was beyond anyone caring about me ever again." His eyes well up and he blinks furiously to keep them clear. "I stopped because you said it made the trip great and I realized that's all this could be and..."

Stiles interrupts him, sounding horrified. "Derek, no! Oh my god no no no. I didn't mean at all that I wanted this to just be some sort of fling. I wouldn't do that to our pack and I damn well wouldn't do it to you."

"But at most, it'd last through the summer," replies Derek. "Stiles, you have your future ahead of you. We're on a roadtrip to pick out colleges for fuck's sake. I can't let what I want keep you from getting what you want."

"Okay first of all, did you ever ask me what I wanted?" demands Stiles. He twists so he's facing Derek and Derek turns to meet him.

"No, but I know you want to go to college. That you want to get away from Beacon Hills."

"Yeah, I do. I want to get away because I think we could use a little perspective. Beacon Hills is home but it's also a shitstorm and after the last few years, I think we all need a break." Stiles has that just getting warmed up edge to his voice, the one that Derek knows very well, having been on the receiving end of it for years now. "So let me clarify, you are interested in a romantic relationship with me and not some sort of short term fling?"

"Yes, but..."

"Stop. Don't think about problems. Just answer that question. Please."

Derek nods. "Yes. I'm interested in a romantic relationship with you."

"Okay. And you think it wouldn't work because I will be leaving for college. Even though we've discussed that the three younger members of this pack will be going to the same city and that you plan to visit every weekend, as well as full moons, so obviously I would still see you quite a bit." Stiles has more than a small hint of condescension in his tone, though Derek supposes he deserves some of it, so he doesn't comment.

He does interrupt though. "Can I talk again?"

"Sure."

"Just because I'll be visiting doesn't make it better. If anything, that just makes it worse."

Stiles looks fully confused.

Derek sighs. "You deserve to experience the next stage of your life the way you want to, without anyone holding you back. I refuse to keep you from living your life just because I'm holding on too hard. I won't hurt you like that."

He watches as Stiles' eyes brighten with understanding. Stiles has always been able to read between the lines. Stiles' hand reaches out and wraps around Derek's ankle, like he's anchoring himself to Derek. "When have I ever let you stop me from doing anything that I really wanted to do? Derek, I'm not Paige. And you wanting me around, wanting to hold on to what we have-romantic, platonic, pack, or otherwise-doesn't make me Paige and it doesn't make you the naive kid who thought he could believe every word his uncle said." Stiles' thumb moves slowly against Derek's skin, holding onto Derek's focus. "I know a lot more than she did. I'm not fifteen either. And maybe eighteen is still young, but I've lived through a lot for eighteen years old. We all grew up fast Derek, and a byproduct of that was knowing what we wanted at an early age."

Derek takes advantage of the pause to slide closer to Stiles, tangling one leg around Stiles' leg. "I don't want to pressure you," he says. "I don't want you to make the wrong choice."

"You are not a wrong choice," insists Stiles. Derek hesitates to believe him but he knows better than to argue. "What do you want? Just you, without considering my future or anything like that."

"I want you," answers Derek. That's it. He could dress it up with more words but the crux of it is that he's wanted Stiles for a long time and nothing-no one-more.

"Will you listen to me, listen and know that I'm not lying while I tell you what I want?"

"Yes."

Stiles' grip tightens a little and his eyes focus on Derek. "I want you, Derek Hale. I've gone from crush to inexplicable to loving you as one of my closest friends and I don't think it would take very much at all for me to be in love with you. I grew up with parents who fought like cats and made up better than anyone I know. They're the kind of people who didn't even know what 'until death do us part' actually means. I don't know how to do a fling or casual romances. And I don't want to. I'm not...I'm not going to make this decision for you. That wouldn't be fair. But my proposal is this. I would like to be your boyfriend. I would like you to be mine. I want to enjoy this trip and enjoy the rest of the school year and the summer and when we have to figure out how it fits into the next stages of our lives, that we do that too. What do you want?"

"I want all of that too. But I need you to promise me that if you want something different, that you'll tell me."

"Not likely," replies Stiles.

"But if you do," insists Derek.

Stiles agrees. "If I do, I will talk to you about it and we will work it out together." He stops for a second, like he wants to ask something more.

"What?"

"Can I kiss you again now?" asks Stiles.

Derek nods vigorously. "Yes. Yes, yes, absolutely." He briefly registers that he could lean forward and kiss Stiles instead of just answering, but by the time the thought finishes processing, Stiles is clambering onto his lap. Stiles' hands cup Derek's face, and he's all smiles and happiness again.

Stiles kisses him slowly and Derek kisses back at the same speed, before swiping the tip of his tongue at the seam of Stiles' lips, pleading for a taste. Stiles opens up readily. He tastes like sea salt, and faintly of the spearmint gum he was chewing earlier, but mostly Derek's just lost in the heat of Stiles' mouth and the press of his lips, and the way his fingers tangle in Stiles' hair, pulling them closer together.

He's not sure how long they stay like that, caught up in each other, but too soon Cora and Isaac are back, complaining about the horrible display of public affection on this beach.

Derek shamelessly gropes Stiles' ass, making him yelp and then moan a little, and he outright grins at Isaac's groan of complain.

"Damnit you two!" Cora's laughing at both of them.

Derek doesn't care.

Isaac just shakes his head. "Finally. Now that you two have made up, can we get back on the road?"

Derek tugs Stiles up off the ground, tangling their fingers together to follow the rest of their pack. Stiles squeezes Derek's hand as they walk and Derek can't help his grin at the feeling.

When they reach the car again, Derek tosses the keys to Cora and slides into the backseat with Stiles. "You can drive."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah. Just don't crash and use the GPS once you get into the city. I don't want us going in circles to find the hotel."

Cora beams as she starts the car and gets them back on the road. Derek notices that she seems slightly less thrilled to be the driver when she realizes he just let her drive so he could sit in the backseat and make out with his boyfriend. Boyfriend. He has a boyfriend now. And it's Stiles. Has he mentioned that? That part's kind of the best.

* * *

**Next stop San Francisco. Things that are likely to happen here:  
Thai food will be eaten and described in enough detail that you will be craving it. Coincidentally, I'm eating Thai this weekend. FAVORITE.  
Did you know that a touristy thing to do in SF is Ghirardelli Square? But oh, chocolate can melt and get all over Stiles' fingers and then he has to lick them clean. Slowly. In long, broad strokes. He might even suck the chocolate off his fingers from time to time. Obviously Derek reacts to this like a completely normal person.  
In related news, the hotel room sleeping arrangements have changed.  
Cora won't be looking at colleges in SF. Instead, she'll be looking at Isaac while he visits culinary schools, wondering how he'd look in an apron. Just an apron. Like one of your French girls, Jack. Oh wait, wrong movie.**


	6. Chapter 6

"What are we eating tonight?" asks Isaac, sprawling out on the hotel bed.

"I don't remember getting you a key to our room." Derek shoves at Isaac's shoes on the bedspread.

"You didn't," he replies cheekily.

Stiles walks out of the shower in jeans and a t-shirt, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. "That's also not your bed."

Cora flops down next to Isaac. "Oh please. The only way you two are ever sleeping in separate beds again is if the Sheriff forces it to happen with a shotgun."

"Which he will," laughs Isaac. "John told Scott once that he hoped you two would figure out your issues but if he ended up on the werewolf version of Teen Mom because Derek knocked you up, he'd shoot you both."

Stiles and Derek both gape at Isaac.

"Lydia might have printed out some werewolf fanfiction and pretended it was factual information and given it to your dad."

Stiles rolls his eyes, and flops back against Derek. "Of course she did. Because Lydia Martin is secretly evil and lives to torment me." Derek doesn't even pretend to be annoyed at Stiles leaning on him. He just slides his hands into Stiles' front pockets and pulls him close, kissing at Stiles' neck. "We can get her back over the summer," he says in between kisses.

Cora groans. "And now I'm losing my appetite."

"Sorry," says Derek, completely unapologetic. He does raise his head though and takes his hands out of the pockets, choosing just to hold onto Stiles. See, he can be a nice big brother.

"Anyway, I want Thai food." Isaac, as usual, never seems bothered by anyone's PDA, though Derek isn't sure which one of them he's leering at. He chooses to believe it's at Cora.

"Isn't San Francisco famous for sourdough bread?" asks Cora.

"So what? We should just find a bakery and buy a loaf?"

"No, oh wise big brother. I want a bread bowl with soup in it."

Stiles stretches his leg out and pokes her. "Dream big."

"Well, what do you have in mind?"

Derek looks down when Stiles tilts his head up and gazes into his eyes. He knows Stiles is doing his exaggerated I'm-manipulating-you-into-doing-my-wishes face. Still. "Derek," asks Stiles, bottom lip in a pout, "can we have dim sum?"

"You realize that in the year that we've been pack, you've never once gotten away with that right?"

Stiles twists in his arms and puts his mouth close to Derek's ear. "If I get dim sum for dinner, you'll get some for dessert."

Cora throws a pillow at them. "I hate you both."

Derek just laughs. Apparently he no longer has any shame and he's surprisingly okay with that.

He doesn't actually get any that night. They ask the hotel clerk for recommendations only to spend fifteen minutes listening to five staff members debate the best dim sum in the city. When they're finally able to extricate themselves with a list, Cora picks the second closest to the hotel because as she explains, picking the closest restaurant isn't very adventurous.

Derek sighs, dodges her attempt to grab the keys "That was a special occasion, Cora, you don't have permission to drive my car indefinitely" and only gets them minimally lost on the way.

The gps, like most systems isn't perfect and can't account for the construction detour. Stiles nearly splits his pants laughing, but they technically find the restaurant because after half an hour, all three werewolves rolled the windows down and sniffed the air.

Derek always feels a little sheepish doing that, but he can't deny that it works. His dad used to do that all the time. Their mom said he could smell a mushroom swiss burger from twenty miles away.

It's not the best dim sum Derek has ever had, but it's good and well-priced and at the end of the day, while there's really good versions, it's kind of hard to fuck up dim sum if you have even half a clue as to what you're doing.

They all mix things up, ordering a variety and sharing around the table, though Derek hoards the cha siu bao to himself, only giving one up when Isaac pulls the puppy dog routine.

At the hotel, Derek opts for a shower. He doesn't stay in forever, but he possibly takes a little bit longer than he could. Because Stiles is out there. And though today has been perfect since their talk, Derek's nervous. He thinks Stiles wants sex. Okay, he knows in theory, that Stiles wants sex. He knows also that over the course of a few high school parties, Stiles is still a virgin by the normative sense of the word, but has also gained some experience. And Stiles did indicate they'd be in the same bed tonight.

After a little bit longer of back and forth debate with his thoughts, Derek shuts off the water and finishes getting ready for bed.

He tugs on boxers and figures that allows him to forgo a t-shirt. He's a boxer briefs guy normally, but back when it was himself and Cora sharing a room, he was trying to be respectful. Born werewolves tend to be more comfortable with their bodies than humans, but there are still some societal behaviors that carry over.

The sight that greets him upon exiting the bathroom relaxes him instantly and makes him smile.

Stiles is lying on the bed, head half on and and half off the pillow, his legs starfished out. His eyes are closed and he's breathing in that steady, not quite asleep but definitely not coherent kind of way.

Derek heaves a sigh of relief, it doesn't look like sex will be a thing tonight and he finds he's not disappointed by that at all. They'll get there.

Instead he slides into bed next to Stiles, lifting the hand that's strewn on his pillow and moving it to Stiles' side.

Stiles makes a noise and rolls over, tangling one leg with Derek's and draping himself over Derek's chest. His eyes flicker open to meet Derek's. "Hey."

"Hi." Derek smiles and runs his fingers through Stiles' hair.

"I had plans for tonight," says Stiles in a tired voice. "Lots of plans. Sex plans."

"I kind of like this option too." He wraps his other arm around Stiles' body, holding him close. Stiles is long and lean and a steady line of heat against Derek.

"Yeah." Stiles lets his head drop back down onto Derek's shoulder and nuzzles up against his neck. "Yeah, this is pretty good too."

They're both asleep within minutes.

"So you two are good right?" Derek looks over at Cora and Isaac. They stopped at Starbucks near the first culinary school Isaac is looking at today. He has three on his list. Cora has already visited any schools she's interested in attending in the area, so she's tagging along with Isaac.

Stiles got early acceptance to Berkeley, has been to the campus before, and doesn't care about any others, so he and Derek are continuing with their original plans to explore the city.

Isaac nods. "Yup. We've got money for lunch and cab fare and directions to the Thai food place for dinner."

"Aren't you going to be kind of bored, Cora?" asks Stiles as he steals a bite of Derek's coffee cake. "I mean, just tagging along on campus tours all day?"

"Nope. I have a vivid imagination."

"So you're going to imagine Isaac taking classes? That sounds stimulating."

Cora grins wide and Derek thinks he probably doesn't want to hear whatever she's going to say next. "No, I'm going to think about Isaac cooking for me wearing only an apron."

Yeah, Derek definitely didn't want to hear that.

Stiles groans. "I hate you."

Cora laughs, Isaac snickers, and they both leave with Cora continuing to describe this apron in detail.

"So what do you want to do?" asks Derek.

Stiles grins. "Well, I know we talked about sightseeing, but I'd kind of rather go back to the hotel. That bed got so little use last night." He sneaks in a kiss to the corner of Derek's mouth.

Derek's tempted. But... "We still have tonight. And the rest of the trip. And back home. I kind of wanted to ride the cable cars."

"Instead of blow jobs?" Stiles is a little loud and a woman standing in line with a little kid glares at them.

"C'mon," pleads Derek, taking Stiles' hand in his and rubbing his thumb over the skin. "Just for a few hours. Cable cars and we can go to Ghirardelli Square. It won't kill us to wait a little longer."

"Says you." But Stiles agrees after another minute and admits it could be fun.

Derek really should have paid more attention to the twinkle in Stiles' eye when he says that.

They ride the cable cars and every time it turns or stops, Stiles pretends he loses his balance and falls into Derek, then rubs his ass against Derek's crotch in an exaggerated motion. Derek of course is stuck not being able to actually push Stiles away, lest the rest of the passengers get a look at just how interested Derek is.

When they finally get off and start walking around, Stiles calms down, seemingly content to hold Derek's hand and steal kisses every few minutes and make random observations.

Derek lets his guard down and enjoys himself. They buy an assortment of chocolates, both for the rest of the trip and as a gift to Melissa McCall, who is nice enough to play pack nurse to both packs.

"Anything else you want to see?" asks Stiles. He keeps playing around with a piece of chocolate and eating it obnoxiously slowly.

"We could go to Fisherman's Wharf, get something to eat, and walk around for a couple hours," suggests Derek.

"We could." Stiles makes a weird noise and Derek turns to look at him. The chocolate is melted on his fingers. Derek sighs. He finds a tissue in his pocket and hands it to Stiles. "Here."

"Oh that's alright. I've got it."

Stiles licks his index finger, moving slowly up as he gets to the tip of his finger, when he swirls his tongue around.

Derek whimpers.

Stiles looks at him. "What?"

"Do you...do you have to do that?"

Stiles looks at his hand, chocolate still on his middle finger. "Oh sorry." Derek barely registers the lack of apology in Stiles' tone before Stiles is sliding his entire finger in his mouth, sucking at the chocolate. He moves the digit in and out of his mouth, hollowing his cheeks and releasing it with a pop after a few seconds.

Stiles grins at Derek. "You were saying something about more sightseeing? Or did you want to go back to the hotel?"

* * *

**I guess we're just gonna go with this is a roadtrip/foodie fic. I should see if there's a tag for that. So far in this story, the food in SF has been my favorite to bring up. I love Thai food and I could eat dim sum for every single meal. DELICIOUS.**

**If anyone's wondering about Derek's happier mood, hopefully I indicated in the beginning of the story that he's much less closed off with his pack then how we've seen him in the show. But I also felt like the final holdout would be his feelings for Stiles, and now that those are resolved, Derek doesn't have anything keeping him from showing exactly how he feels.**

**I also think that affectionate Sterek is adorable.**


	7. Chapter 7

Derek manages to restrain himself until they get back to the hotel and he thanks whoever is listening that there's no one in the elevator because the last of his self-restraint breaks as the doors close. He's pressing Stiles into the corner, kissing with everything he has. His hands grip Stiles' ass, holding Stiles against him as he moves, the feel absolutely overwhelming. "You're a fucking menace," he hisses out.

Stiles grins cheekily, utterly unrepentant. "We've spent a year dancing around each other, Derek," he says as Derek hitches Stiles' legs up around him and carries him out of the elevator and down the hall to their room. He slips the key in the lock while Stiles talks. "Now that both of us finally got our heads out of our asses, I have no interest in seeing a damn wharf. I had to take drastic measures."

It's absurd how long it takes for Derek to get the door open and both of them inside, though he suspects it's the way he's trying to work the door backwards, while he focuses on marking Stiles' neck.

He sets Stiles' down, tugging his jacket off. "And what are you interested in?" he asks, deliberately making his voice as predatory as possible. His following thought is that's going to be the last time he manages to sound in control tonight, as Stiles pulls his t-shirt over his head, unbuttons his jeans, kicks off his shoes, and stalks towards Derek. Stiles constantly reminds Derek of a cat, whether his movements are graceful and dangerous or like a flailing kitten. He's all sinuous movements now.

Stiles' fingers flick open each of the buttons on Derek's shirt. Derek tries not to shiver. Then there's a warm breath at his ear. "My interests are many and varied, Mr. Hale. But for now, I want you undressed." Stiles' hands get Derek's belt undone and he's soon grasping Derek's length, letting his fingers trace up and down. "I want to crawl on that bed and let you spread me out, kiss me until I'm begging incoherently for you to fuck me." Derek has just enough presence of mind to push Stiles' pants down, and he senses that Stiles is doing the same to him as he keeps talking. "I want you to own me. Mark me. And I'll do the same to you. Then everyone will know who we belong too."

Derek is rock fucking hard. He whimpers as Stiles kisses him again, never wanting to let go.

"Stiles..."

Stiles pulls away, backing towards the bed and sliding up it, his legs spreading open as he moves. He strokes his cock with one hand as Derek watches.

He's following Stiles without even thinking, crawling between his legs and kissing his way back up to Stiles' lips. "You're so fucking perfect," he breathes as his hands push Stiles' thighs farther apart.

Stiles smiles at him, pure and bright. "Only for you."

From there it's everything Derek's dreamed about and so much better at the same time. Stiles is expressive, both in his words and body language, and for all their fighting only a couple days before, Derek is pleased to realize he can still read Stiles perfectly.

He takes his time opening Stiles up, but can't bring himself to tease anymore than that. He thinks there will be time for that later, time to spend hours biting little red marks into Stiles' pale skin, to bring him back and forth to the edge until Derek's ready to send him over. But right now Derek wants every bit as Stiles does, and he doesn't have enough control to wait. He moves with a steady rhythm, coming hard, and then stroking Stiles, kissing him again as Stiles comes.

They lay curled up in each other for the rest of the afternoon. Stiles traces fingers against Derek's stubble, and Derek nuzzles into the touch.

There's only a hint of sunlight coming through the windows, just enough to keep them warm under the sheet. Derek wants this forever and he deliberately pushes aside the fact that they'll be apart in a few months. He has this now and Stiles has promised that college means figuring it out, not breaking up, and he has more than enough to worry about in the future without adding this.

Instead he maps Stiles' moles the way he's wanted to and falls asleep maddeningly content.

* * *

**Notes:**

**Stiles and Derek totally sleep through their alarm and forget to meet Isaac and Cora for dinner.**

**They finally hear their phones and Derek gets Cora to order dinner to go. They spend the time waiting in the shower where Stiles sucks Derek off and it takes entirely too long for either of them to get dressed.**

**I'm watching The Big Bang Theory as I write this (well that and Friends) and I always end up craving Chinese food & pastries after these two shows. But also it's the ep where Penny has the gross chair and Sheldon feels contaminated and imagines bugs crawling on him and it makes me think about all the times I've ever not been able to catch a spider in the house and then I keep wondering if it's crawling on me somewhere.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, seriously y'all, I am so sorry this took so long. Honestly it was not my intent but I was housesitting all summer and I moved back to my home state and I thought I'd be able to get writing in but between cleaning and travel and then grandparents being in town, life just got away from me.**

**I did get to spend plenty of time hearing my step-grandma lecture about the fact that I'm fat, single, not in a career approved by her, and write weird things about magic instead of normal people. She's a peach, and by peach, I mean a fucking bitch. We legit had to hide any prescription drugs that were in the house at my brother's apartment because she'll steal them otherwise. And my family isn't the type to keep medicine around forever. Those are up to date and needed meds. Ugh.**

**So yeah, writing this chapter was a bit cathartic and much needed. The rest of this story will probably be finished by the end of this weekend. Chapter 9 is just about done and going up tomorrow, and I expect the others to follow soon after, as most of the details were written when I first started this story. Okay, enough of my ramblings.**

* * *

"You two are so…"

"Adorable?" suggests Stiles.

"No."

"Perfect?"

"That's me and Isaac."

"Isaac and I."

Isaac thumps Stiles on Cora's behalf. "Ow!"

Cora observes for another minute as Derek takes his eyes off the road long enough to press a kiss to Stiles' head where Isaac hit him. "Well, I was going to say happier than you've been in a long time but now I think I'll go with nauseatingly cute."

Isaac makes an exaggerated sigh. "They're just vomit-worthy adorbs."

"Please never say that again," begs Derek.

"Seconded." Stiles sticks his tongue out at Isaac, laughing when he ducks Isaac's hand and causes Isaac to slap the headrest instead.

"How long until Eugene?" asks Cora.

"About an hour," answers Derek. "I was thinking Isaac and I would drop you and Stiles off for your meeting with the admissions counselor and we'll check into the hotel, then meet up with you for that evening tour."

Cora nods along. "Sounds good. And then in the morning we have meetings with department heads about our majors before we can head onto Portland."

"And then donuts right?" Isaac is positively beaming over the idea, despite the rest of the car's laughter.

"Yes, and then donuts," replies Derek, reaching one hand back to ruffle Isaac's hair. To Derek's relief, navigating Eugene, Oregon is much easier than San Francisco, and they have Stiles and Cora at the student admissions office with a few minutes to spare.

Derek feels Isaac tense in front of him before he actually sees the lack of movement and a sudden pang hits his heart. They'd only just arrived at the hotel, planning to go inside and get settled, but he can tell the look of worry in Isaac's eyes mirrors his own. Something's wrong. He sweeps the general area, though Derek already knows the problem isn't with them.

"Cora," says Isaac, his eyes flashing yellow.

Derek takes a deep breath. A threat to his pack makes his wolf upset, add on that this is Stiles and his sister in danger and he's dangerously close to losing control if he doesn't focus. He takes another breath and puts a hand on Isaac's shoulder, both working to calm each other. A moment later, he turns. "Car," he commands.

They're on the road in seconds and Derek pushes the speed limits as much as possible. He itches to go faster, to get back to the school as fast as he can, but being pulled over will just cause more delays, so he uses the traffic lights to pull his focus together.

Isaac pulls up the gps tracker on his phone, activating both Stiles' and Cora's phones. Danny had updated all their phones, with help from the Sheriff, and while the software may not be exactly legal for a civilian cell phone, it was perfect in situations where they needed to track each other down quickly. Isaac pinpoints the location to a campus soccer field along the Williamette River, not too far from the main campus but certainly not where Cora or Stiles should be.

As soon as they arrive, Derek simultaneously panics and calms down, in what he knows has to be a bizarre reaction. Cora and Stiles stand facing six werewolves, all in human form except for their eyes. His panic comes from the brief need to acknowledge that his pack is actually in danger. But at the same time, another wolf pack really isn't a problem. Not after everything they've been through as residents of Beacon Hills.

Derek and Isaac take steady, deliberate steps across the field, not wanting to appear nervous. "What's going on here?" asks Derek, stepping to Stiles' left hand side and just in front of him. Isaac flanks Cora.

"Your beta and pet human are trespassing," sneers one of the other wolves.

"I asked my pack," clarifies Derek, his tone disdainful. "Not some punk."

The hostile pack snarls, but Derek continues to ignore them. Six against four, when the four are his particular pack mates, is like asking a varsity team to scrimmage with little leaguers.

Stiles speaks quickly as he explains. "Cora and I had just finished our brief admissions counselor meetings and were walking around campus, when four of these charmers accosted us. They very forcefully demanded we follow them here."

"Why?"

"According to Jake here," says Cora, taking up the explanation, and she snickers at the name of the werewolf along with Derek. He can't help it. That will never stop being funny. "Eugene is no longer friendly to college bound packs and our presence is not appreciated."

Derek finally turns back to this Jake person. "And you felt it was necessary to threaten, rather than call for their alpha and discuss this in person? Regardless of the rules of holding territory near a university, some protocols haven't changed."

Jake growls and Derek rolls his eyes. "We don't believe in listening to excuses. This is our town and your pack isn't welcome."

"That's fine," says Derek again. It's not, but he'll pass the situation on to Alpha Williams in Portland, as she handles pack disputes in Oregon, rather than raise the issue themselves. UofO was always a backup to the backup colleges anyway. "That still doesn't explain why you're facing off with my pack, rather than allowing them to leave."

"There are consequences to trespassing," snaps Jake.

"Ah. Now that's where you're wrong," says Derek, letting his eyes flash finally and his fangs drop. "You have not made a public declaration to Alpha Williams that you wish to have a formal hold on the territory here, you failed to follow pack protocols, and you have harassed my pack mates without due cause. As such, I am within my rights as alpha to retaliate." Derek pauses to let that sink in, and he can feel his pack shifting into battle mode. There are thing he's still unsure about, emotions that are difficult to deal with. But this? Negotiations and battles and whipping assholes into shape who think that being stronger than others gives them the right to be bullies are the sort of thing Derek thrives at handling. There are reasons Scott has the larger pack but Derek's pack deals with threats first.

"We would be happy to leave without bloodshed or further harm to anyone," finishes Derek. "But if you won't allow that, we will still be leaving. I'd prefer to reach our next destination at a decent hour."

He thinks it's a bit ridiculous that they're doing this on a college soccer field too, out in public, but no one is around to be concerned about.

Jake snaps his fingers, and his pack shifts into beta form, while another four werewolves join from behind the bleachers.

Isaac laughs at the sight, and Derek knows his beta sensed them the moment they arrived. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Isaac moves into a languid pose, the stiff posture he'd walked in with relaxing into a natural movement. A calm, bored looking Isaac is one to watch out for.

Stiles is taunting two of the betas now, while Cora taps into the primal side of her wolf. Derek's always known his sister to be more in touch with her animalistic nature than the rest of his family were-except perhaps Peter-but wherever she was after the fire took away any innocence in that, leaving an almost feral killer behind. Cora's anchors are strong and she keeps a tight hold on the impulses, but Derek knows full well the danger she can unleash.

He himself takes the step back from the fight, letting his pack members fight first. And that little movement took him months to accept. Derek finally had to admit that when it comes to a killing blow, or even being of a mind that can accept the need to kill rather than save, Cora, Stiles, and Isaac are all better than him. He knows death is necessary, better than Scott does. But he's hesitated too many times in the past to take the lead.

Instead, as Jake lunges forward, his pack behind him, Derek takes up his roles as beater (as Stiles likes to call it), moving to take a hit that Stiles can't see coming, using his hands to launch Cora into three snarling and fully shifted wolves, pulling Isaac back when one attacker is down and refocusing his attention.

This pack wanted to attack, but Derek doesn't need to deal with death today, not with the pain in the ass cleanup it will cause. They just need to teach Jake and his pack a lesson in respect.

And this, this thing where Derek guards and supports his pack but doesn't get in their way? This is what makes them work. Each is here for the benefit of the other, not themselves.

It takes his pack about twenty minutes to destroy Jake's pack, leaving the antagonistic werewolves on the ground, literally licking their wounds. "Next time you have visitors in town, try a moment of patience and respect," says Derek, looming over Jake as the others head back to the car. "Not every pack is so easily bullied."

It's just over two hours later when Derek pulls into an IHop near the Portland airport. There are several hotels nearby, the kind designed to always have room for weary travelers, with reasonable rates. He'd prefer a bit nicer place normally, hence the room they have booked for the following night, but the win didn't leave them unscathed, and a lower level hotel tends to ignore the banged up and bruised.

"I want a stack of pancakes bigger than my face," says Cora, following Isaac through the door by slumping over Stiles' shoulder.

"Fragile human," protests Stiles, not that Cora-or anyone else-listens.

Isaac catches the eye of a waitress, who waves from the back for them to just grab a seat anywhere, and leads them to a large corner booth. "I just want all the bacon," he says and Derek grins because some things never change.

Once their orders are in (Derek slips their waitress a fifty and requests a pot of coffee and a pitcher of water for each of them), everyone rather visibly slouches.

"For as fun as a good fight is," begins Stiles, "it sure is fucking exhausting."

"Right?" agrees Cora. "I'm so glad Beacon Hills finally calmed down."

Isaac turns to Derek with a very serious face. "And we're young. Do you need us to pick up some Bengay at a 24 hour pharmacy for your muscles?"

Derek glares at Isaac and makes a mental note to steal some of the pup's bacon. Insolent little brat. Stiles grins brightly at Isaac, his hand massaging dangerously high on Derek's thigh, and says "that's alright, I'm sure I can kiss it better."

Derek laughs and turns Stiles' head so he can actually kiss him, licking into Stiles' mouth for a better taste, only pulling back when Cora throws a sugar packet at his head. He smirks over how off kilter Stiles appears. "At least that knocked Eugene out of the running. None of you were really interested in that particular backup anyway. Wasn't that just being responsible for the Sheriff and Ms. McCall's sakes?"

Stiles nods. "Yeah, basically. I already like Portland better. It's raining. I love the rain."

"It's sort of peaceful," agrees Cora, refilling her coffee for the third time since they sat down. Derek marvels at how caffeine barely manages to affect her.

"I guess at least we can do some sightseeing now," he offers as a suggestion. "Preferably without running into any more antagonistic werewolves."

"But first Voodoo Doughnuts, right?" insists Isaac.

Derek joins the others in laughing, the easy camaraderie of the trip returning with Isaac's sweet tooth.

* * *

**Not much food in this one (next chapter will make up for it. Portland is a foodie's wet dream) but I wanted to show a bit of pack action. Any of you who read my other stories know that I love BAMF Stiles, and psycho-killer Isaac, and I kind of like the idea of a Cora who wasn't quite omega but might as well have been having a very feral, animalistic nature in a fight. I also wanted to play around a bit with a Derek who has learned when to lead and when to be part of a team. I may play with this grouping in other fics too. Kinda liked it.**

**There are some good parts to Eugene, Oregon, but the University of Oregon Ducks are not one of them.**


	9. Chapter 9

Derek is sound asleep when Isaac starts pounding on his door at 3am. So he thinks he should be forgiven for taking a minute to wake up, then being confused about where he is because Stiles is sprawled across him and he's not exactly used to having that just yet, before he finally figures out where the damn noise is coming from.

"Isaac," he croaks. Stupid bright light from the hotel hallway. "What's wrong?"

"Donuts," says Isaac, beaming.

Derek's eyes adjust and he notices that Isaac is fully dressed. The wide awake part is overly obvious at this point. "It's three in the morning, Isaac."

"Yeah?"

"So why can't we get donuts in six hours like a normal fucking person?"

He hears Stiles wake up and a second later arms slip around his waist. Stiles mumbles into Derek's back. "Why is Isaac here?"

"He wants donuts. For some reason we can't get them during daylight hours."

Stiles lifts his head and sets his chin on Derek's shoulder. "Is this about that whole three gallon bucket of donuts for five bucks?"

Isaac nods vigorously. "Yes! C'mon, Cora's waiting downstairs. She even convinced the night clerk to make lattes with the cafe espresso machine for us."

Derek groans. "I'm too old for this shit."

Stiles slides away and flips a light on. "We'll be down in a minute, Isaac."

Isaac leaves and Derek turns back to the room. "We're really doing this?" He catches the pair of sweats and a t-shirt that Stiles throws at him. "I'm going comfortably," says Stiles. "But we did promise and he's had this thing about wanting the bucket experience for months. Ever since Scott and Allison told him about it last summer."

Derek grumbles but gets dressed, distracting them only for a minute when he kisses Stiles. "There better be caramel in my coffee," he says as he follows Stiles downstairs.

There is and whatever Cora tipped the night clerk seems to have made them the new favorites.

It's pouring rain outside-not exactly a surprise for March in Portland-and when they get to Voodoo Donuts and see the line, Derek shows how much he cares by handing Isaac a $5 bill and an umbrella and telling him to have fun.

He could've kept the umbrella. It only takes Isaac a few minutes to get inside, due to a combination of Isaac charming a few people in line & intimidating the others, and then he's back in the car, handing out treats to everyone.

Stiles only takes two, since he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. Cora claims every single one that has cereal on top. Derek takes two dirty bastards and a orangatang, leaving the rest for Isaac. They eat in the car, sipping their coffee and talking only a little. Finally, after consuming seven donuts, Isaac leans back against the seat, lets out a loud belch, and sighs. "That was perfect."

"So the rest of us can go back to sleep now?" asks Stiles, laughing at Isaac.

"Maybe wait until we're back at the hotel."

Derek rolls his eyes at his sister and starts the car up, weaving through the dark streets until they return to the hotel. He and Stiles are clearly fading, the bed sounding amazing, while Cora and Isaac are clearly hitting sugar coma status. With a last promise to meet downstairs at 8, they part ways.

Derek wakes up far more pleasantly the second time around, the clock radio blinking 7:00am, and the sensation of Stiles' fingertips tracing the lines of his tattoo.

"Morning," whispers Stiles when Derek shifts his head so he can see him.

Derek smiles back at him, slow and sleepy. "Morning." He turns to his side, facing Stiles, and leans in for a kiss.

"I have gross morning breath," protests Stiles.

"I've kissed your dorito breath, I can handle this," returns Derek and he can't help the satisfied noise he makes when Stiles gives in and kisses him back.

They stay like that for long moments, trading lazy kisses back and forth, hands moving but never drifting too low. It's comfortable and unhurried, like they have all the time in the world, and Derek relishes just being able to lie here with Stiles. He's only mildly tempted to slide a hand in Stiles' boxers-being in bed with the one he loves tends to bring that out in him-but for the most part, he's content.

In the end, the last minute alarm that Stiles set goes off at 7:45, giving them just a few minutes to shower and get ready.

Derek lets Stiles shower first, since he also has to get his things together for admissions interviews later. All three of his pack members have back to back meetings and appointments, with guided campus tours, so he gets to roam about the city on his own.

Once Stiles is out, kissing Derek on the cheek with a brief "all yours", Derek rushes through a shower and opts for a slightly mountain man look rather than shaving. He knows Stiles likes the stubble anyway.

They're still a little late getting downstairs, but Isaac has to go back up for his backpack, so it works out.

At the Sheriff's request, they go to Besaw's for breakfast, and the farmer's hash is every bit as good as its reputation (in Derek's opinion at least). Stiles has had it before so he goes for French toast, and as usual, Cora and Isaac inhale their food too fast to taste much of anything.

Once breakfast is over, they all part ways. Derek finds he gets a thrill out of being able to kiss Stiles goodbye at the car. His overly romantic teenage self had imagined moments like these, not so much the big grand gestures, but little details that made it a relationship instead of lovers. He'd been too naive to recognize the difference between what Kate offered and what he thought he had, but he sees the differences clear as day now, and Derek relishes the honesty that Stiles brings.

He meanders around the downtown area for a while, poking his head into a few old churches-the architecture has always impressed him-and stops for a little longer in one where the church janitor waves him into the sanctuary with a "stay as long as you like".

Derek isn't religious really. He respects people's choices and all, but growing up as a werewolf meant rituals were tied to the moon. The idea of a more organized religion was just that, an idea, not a practice.

But he likes older churches, the way there's a history and secrets and memories built into the walls. Derek looks at the stained glass, wonders who put it together, if it was a commissioned work or a labor of love. He sits in a pew and thinks about the stories it could tell. Of people who lead easy lives or ones who struggle with life's injustices as much as he has.

For all the judgment that can come from the people who populate within these walls, the buildings themselves are surprisingly accepting. It quiets Derek's soul.

After finding something to eat for lunch,and finding a couple books to read from a used bookstore, he spends the rest of his afternoon reading at Stumptown Coffee, before meeting up with the others near the Portland State campus.

"Derek!" Cora comes running over to him first, her bag nearly spilling its contents as she hugs him. "I'm in love. The campus is perfect, Portland is awesome, and there are so many social work programs I can do. Like I can work with other teenage girls in all sorts of programs, helping make sure they aren't alone or don't get taken advantage of."

Derek quickly slides a chair under Cora-who sits without looking-and motions for her to continue.

"Anyway, the admissions counselor also gave me info on nearby apartments but she said the bus system is great so I wouldn't even need a car to get around and Isaac and I were thinking maybe live downtown or in one of the older neighborhoods in between both of our schools," Cora takes a long chug from her energy drink-Derek really doesn't think she needs anymore-before going on again in a single breath.

"Isaac said he really liked the culinary schools too and there are lots of local places where I could get a job and I know I don't actually need one but I think it'd be good for me to get out a bit and still have a schedule and…"

"Cora!" interrupts Derek when she pauses for a breath. "I can't remember the last time you talked this much. Slow down so I can keep up, please."

He's given more of a break as Isaac walks up, grinning from ear to ear. "I take it you like Portland too," says Derek.

Isaac nods. "It's great. I could be really happy here. One of the students who led my tour said the food cart culture here makes it easy to experiment and get a foot in the door of the culinary industry through less traditional methods."

Derek listens with half of his attention, though must is wondering where Stiles is. He knows Stiles had a more detailed list of questions about his programs, but it doesn't stop Derek from trying to listen for him.

When Stiles joins them a few minutes later, he's excited as well, though his focus seems to be on the school, less on Portland as a whole. Derek starts to bring it up, only to quickly change his question when Stiles subtly shakes his head at him, and he resolves to follow up with Stiles later. Cora and Isaac notice nothing, having moved on to discussing which food carts they should visit for dinner. Stiles redirects that part of the conversation for Derek, focusing on a single area instead of the previously endorsed plan, which involved driving around the greater part of Portland in search of dinner.

They end up getting a couple things from a dozen nearby trucks, then carting it back to the hotel and spreading it out on the table in the suite, where everyone can indulge as they please.

Isaac and Cora leave soon after, wanting to explore the city, and with a warning about not getting arrested-that neither finds amusing, though Stiles cackles over the idea of bailing the betas out of jail-Derek hands over his keys. Relinquishing his car is a small price to pay for privacy.

Some hours later, Derek's managed to get Stiles to the bed and down to their boxers, trading lazy kisses back and forth. "What did you want to wait to talk about?" asks Derek.

"Hmm?"

"On campus. You weren't as thrilled as Isaac or Cora."

Stiles frowns. "Oh that. Can we talk about it later? My brain's too scattered to make sense. Can't focus."

Derek kisses him, his tongue licking past Stiles' lips for a long moment. Stiles' dick twitches in response and hardens under him and Derek grins. "Sure you can't focus?"

Stiles' answers with a devilish grin of his own. "Well, maybe with a little inspiration."

Derek opts for the element of surprise, sliding quickly down the bed, tugging Stiles' boxers down in one smooth motion and leaning back in to lick up the underside of his cock. Stiles' hips buck. "Jesus, Derek."

"Just Derek thanks."

"That's a terrible joke," laughs Stiles.

Derek ignores him and swirls his tongue around the head, causing Stiles to stop laughing at him a few seconds later.

"Not laughing. Just...fuck...don't stop doing that."

"Wasn't planning on it," answers Derek, already back to tasting Stiles in broad strokes of his tongue. He uses his hands to push Stiles' legs further apart, just so he can focus more. For a brief second he considers using his fingers to open Stiles up at the same time, but Derek is enjoying the simplicity, and decides to indulge himself.

He laps up a bit of precum before swallowing Stiles' cock in one go. Stiles' fingers tangle in his hair, and Derek butts against them to indicate that Stiles is free to pull if need be. He seems content to let Derek do his thing though, just wanting to touch him.

Derek devotes his attention to Stiles' dick. It's very nice, in his thoroughly biased opinion, but he mostly appreciates that Stiles doesn't seem to be in a hurry to move onto other things either, happy to enjoy the moment. When Stiles' hands grip tighter, reminding Derek he's close, Derek bobs his head back down, tilting just a little so he can look up at Stiles, and Stiles comes with a soft cry down his throat. He swallows most of it, licking his lips afterwards, and Stiles moans. "You are way too fucking hot for my own good."

Derek moves back up so he can kiss him. He likes the way despite the distinctly different tastes, it's still Stiles on his tongue. He could get used to this.

Stiles breaks the kiss to reach a hand down and wrap around Derek's dick, hard against Stiles' thigh. "I'd kinda like to return the favor," says Stiles.

Derek hesitates, wanting to ask for something, but he doesn't quite know if Stiles would be okay with it.

"What?" asks Stiles, catching the look.

He motions with his hand, knows he's blushing but just can't help it.

"Oh!" Stiles nods and lies back on the pillows. "Whatever you need, babe."

Given permission, Derek jerks himself quickly, only needing a few strokes-he's been on the edge for the last ten minutes-and comes over Stiles' dick and stomach, his hand rubbing into Stiles' skin as he finishes.

"Like I said," repeats Stiles. "Too fucking hot." He follows up the words by tugging Derek back up to him to kiss again, settling the last of Derek's nerves.

"I need more space," says Stiles, after Derek's cleaned them both up and tangled himself up with Stiles. He starts to move, unsure of himself suddenly. He thought they both wanted this closeness but maybe he read it wrong. Stiles' hand holds him steady, keeping him in place. "Not like that," he corrects. "I mean the reason Portland isn't perfect."

"Oh?" asks Derek. He suspects this is one of those things that Stiles is still working out, so he waits, fingers gently tracing along Stiles' hip.

Stiles sighs. "You know how we took over patrols on the outskirts of town when you and Scott divided up the territory responsibilities?"

"Yeah?" murmurs Derek into Stiles' shoulder.

"I like the openness. And Portland's great, definitely my favorite of anywhere we've been so far, and the school is amazing. It's just…" Stiles runs a hand through his hair, a sure sign of frustration, and blows out an exasperated breath.

"You can be happy somewhere and not have it feel right, feel like home," offers Derek.

"Is it weird to want to live somewhere the land speaks to me?" There's something else that Stiles isn't saying, but Derek tells his brain to stop over-analyzing, and tries to help where he can.

He pulls Stiles closer and kisses him before answering. "If you were anyone else in the world? No, it wouldn't be weird. That you're an emissary of Beacon Hills means I can't imagine you being content anywhere that didn't connect with you." Stiles smiles at him, that gentle half turn of his lips Derek's just figuring out is reserved for him. "You'll find it," he promises. "We'll find it."

* * *

**Notes: I worked for a couple years as a night auditor and I kinda loved when people wanted coffee at 4am. Partly because I worked at Starbucks so I was better at it than anyone else. And because being a night auditor is really boring. You watch a lot of netflix.**

**The Voodoo Donuts $5 bucket thing is legit. It's not as worth it as Isaac makes it out to be (unless you're already awake and stoned/drunk). But it's still pretty sweet.**

**So while I actually am 'religious' (I hate that term because of the assholes that come out of religion, but spiritual never seems right either. And I feel like "person of faith" is someone more in tune with their faith than I am but I guess that's closest. Anyway, there are a few churches in downtown Portland but the one in my mind that Derek liked the architecture of is First Baptist on 11th (I've gone to services by a different church "Solid Rock" that uses the facility). It's a really gorgeous church. And when no one's preaching at you, I like soaking in the history of a church. I mean, they're kind of the cornerstones of towns in this country (churches and bars were usually the first buildings to go up) and when you think about the stories those buildings could tell, it's pretty amazing. To me at least. Bars and churches yo. Magic.**

**PSU (Portland State) has a good little gathering of food trucks near it, one of my favorites being The Hog and the Hen. YUM. Portland food trucks are legit. Like, tied with Austin for best in the nation and I'd argue Portland's are a bit more creative.**


	10. Chapter 10

The earlier than planned arrival in Portland means Derek gets his pack to the coast in the morning, since no one really felt a need to stay. Isaac and Cora are distinctly under the impression they'll be returning, and Stiles is just frustrated with having places to be, and expresses to Derek his need to relax and have no demands on his time for a few days. Derek doesn't bother correcting his sister and Isaac either, since he suspects that they will end up in Portland.

Stiles can be just as self-sacrificing as he is, and it's not like any other place impressed them more.

The cottage they've rented is still being cleaned, so Derek drives into town, the steady drizzle of rain ruling out walking around.

"Could we find coffee?" asks Cora.

"What about the beach? And Haystack Rock?" Isaac references the landmark of Cannon Beach.

Cora shrugs. "It's raining. I'd rather see it without being soaked."  
"Coffee does sound good," admits Stiles. Derek has one hand wrapped around Stiles' fingers as he drives, and he gives him a reassuring squeeze. "Coffee it is then."

The first place Derek spots along the main road is a place called Sleepy Monk, and he pulls into the parking lot and follows his pack inside. The cafe is small, though a corner table big enough for all of them is open, and Isaac slides into save the table with a request for a hot chocolate with extra whip cream.

In a rare twist, the aromas of the shop aren't overwhelming to Derek. One look at Cora and Isaac says they're easily handling the scents as well. The menu is limited, and Derek suspects that's why it isn't bothering him. Most coffee shops have so many flavors and options that it grates against his sensitive nose, but here he can simply smell coffee, chocolate, and warm spices.

The woman at the counter is friendly and informative, helping Derek and the others figure out exactly what to order. Derek gets Isaac his hot chocolate in an extra large cup, letting the barista fill it to the top with chocolate whipped cream. She also lets Derek know that if Isaac just crosses the street, he'll be able to step on the beach and see Haystack Rock, which might temporarily satisfy Isaac's curiosity.

Cora picks a drink called Druid's Delight, with caramel and the same sweet whipped cream and Derek doesn't take much thought to request one of the same. Stiles' opts for an Irish cream and hazelnut drink, listed as Monastery Madness on the menu, though he leaves off any toppings.

At a further suggestion, Derek gets two bags of coffee beans-ground for them-one called Fiddlers Fusion that promises to be a smoother blend and a rich blend called Sligo Sludge, perfect for Cora and Stiles. They call it a refined taste, Derek calls it a taste for mud. The woman helping them laughs when he says that and assures him it's the best choice.

Stiles walks back to the table, leaning in to talk, and a moment later Isaac's wrapping his scarf back around his neck and waving as he hurries across the street.

Cora and Stiles laugh out loud and Derek just shakes his head at the ridiculousness.

The drinks take a few minutes-not that any of them mind-and when they're finished, Stiles volunteers to go fetch Isaac.

"Should I start worrying?" Derek nudges Cora, who's flipping through a book on castles in Ireland. Stiles left fifteen minutes ago.

Cora lifts her head up and looks out, shaking her head and poking Derek. "There they are."

Indeed, their boyfriends are walking quickly back up the road and into the shop. They shrug off damp jackets and slide back around the table, Isaac shaking the droplets out of his hair like the puppy he is.

Stiles is positively beaming as he sits down. "Sorry, Isaac was right to want to go straight to the beach. It's so quiet and like hauntingly beautiful. I didn't even notice the rain." He leans in close to Derek, as Isaac and Cora kiss, whispering in his ear. "I think I found it," he says.

"Yeah?"

Stiles kisses his cheek and hums contentedly. "Yeah."

Isaac suggests they play Scrabble with one of the coffee shop's games, and Derek excuses himself out of the first game to check in with Scott.

"Do I need to give you the obligatory hurt my best friend and I'll kill you speech?" is the first thing out of Scott's mouth, once Derek is fully out of earshot. There's no reason for them to listen in but better safe than sorry.

"I have no plans to hurt him but I'll listen if you'll feel better," offers Derek. He rolls his eyes at Scott over the phone.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," says Scott.

"Sometimes I hate you."

"That's cool."  
"So the speech?"

Scott makes some sort of noncommittal grunt. "That was basically it. Besides, you know Lydia will think up something ten times worse than I ever could."

Derek grimaces. "True."

"So what's up?"

"Partially checking in," answers Derek. "How's Beacon Hills?"

Scott's tone perks up. "Good. I was talking to Chris and my mom a little bit and I mean obviously a decision can wait until you're back, but they thought maybe there'd be a way they could look out for the town so less of the burden is on you."

That's even better than Derek hoped for when he first decided to call Scott and he says so, following that with "Actually, that would be great. Isaac and Cora are pretty set on going to school in Portland, but Stiles has already fallen in love with the coast."

"Really?" asks Scott. "That's awesome." As Stiles' best friend, he's long been familiar with Stiles' sense of restlessness in a place to belong. "Are you going to be able to be apart that much? Now that you're together?"

Derek smiles. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. I have an idea…"


	11. Chapter 11

When Cora quietly asks Derek to take Stiles out on a long date, he makes reservations at a nearby restaurant, hands her a bottle of Lysol, and says "just please, not the kitchen."

Growing up in a werewolf household meant Derek had been used to the idea of people having sex in the same house, knowing about it in more detail than most, and choosing to respectfully overlook the fact, but Cora had never actually been old enough to need that particular talk. And over the years, Derek had grown used to being much more private. As a result, they behaved a bit more like humans than werewolves in this area of their lives.

Once he and Stiles are sitting at their table at The Wayfarer-one of the nicest restaurants in Cannon Beach and with gorgeous picture windows looking out over the turbulent ocean waves-Derek brings up what Stiles had mentioned at the coffee house the day before. "Is this still it?"

Stiles freezes for a second, Derek isn't sure why, and his heartbeat races.

"What's wrong?" asks Derek, suddenly worried.

Stiles shakes himself out of it. "Nothing. I mean, um, yeah this is...I dunno it just feels like home. My dad always liked going to the beach and my mom loved the rain and in some weird sort of way, this place just makes me feel connected to both of them in a way Beacon Hills hasn't since she died." He pauses as the waitress comes back over, and both Derek and Stiles place their orders.

When she leaves, Stiles takes a sip of his soda and continues. "I was thinking maybe I could try to schedule my classes to have long weekends and then on the ones that you can leave Beacon Hills and come visit, we could maybe come down here a lot. It's not that far, right?"

Derek nods, but he's still concerned about why Stiles was upset. Stiles still gives off a nervous vibe, like he isn't saying something. "What else is bothering you?"

"Nothing," says Stiles quickly.

"We promised we wouldn't lie to each other or hide things anymore." Derek reaches his hand across the table to hold Stiles' hand with the gentle reminder. "I want to know what's on your mind. Please?"

Stiles sighs in the way Derek has long since learned means he's accepting something, not exasperated. "I don't want you to leave," he admits.

"I'm not leaving," replies Derek, confused. "I thought we agreed college wasn't going to equal a breakup."

Stiles shakes his head. "Not like that. I don't...I mean...I want you to stay here. Or well, in Portland since that's obviously where we'll be ending up. I don't want to only see you every other weekend and during breaks. And I feel like I'm moving too fast in my own head and wanting too much."

"I've known for a long time that you were a forever or never kind of guy."

"You say that," returns Stiles, a little bit bitterly. "But it's different when I'm actually sitting here admitting that I've spent just a few days getting to share a bed and that I don't want to go to college and wake up alone in a shitty dorm. That I want to fight over juice with pulp or without because it means you made me breakfast. Or that I make your weak coffee before my mud as you call it, because you wake up slower than me and like to savor the first few sips."

Derek squeezes Stiles' hand a little tighter. "So what if I don't leave?"

Stiles' eyes light up with hope that disappears just as fast, the way he always does when he gets excited about an idea and then his brain starts running what if scenarios. "What do you mean?"

"I talked to Scott," begins Derek. "He said the parental trio offered to help keep an eye on Beacon Hills so Scott wouldn't have to come home as much from LA. Scott didn't think it was fair for him to be away and not me, so we suggested a compromise. We could have you set up extra wards, then I'll visit every other weekend and Scott will visit the ones in between."  
"Visit Beacon Hills?"

"And live in Portland with you."

Stiles positively beams at him. "You'd do that?!"

Derek nods vigorously. "To be with you and my sister and Isaac on a regular basis? Absolutely."

"I'd like that," says Stiles, as he leans across the table to kiss Derek. "I'd like it a lot."

Derek is exceedingly happy at the words. He was pretty sure he knew that Stiles would be on board, but the confirmation eases the last bit of worry, and he relaxes for the remainder of the evening.

The food is delicious and Derek would be lying if he said the dessert tray their server brings out at the end of the meal wasn't his favorite part. Derek limits himself to only ordering two desserts, though his sweet tooth wants more, and he can't help his wide grin when Stiles orders a berry cobbler and a chocolate torte, especially since he knows the cobbler isn't to Stiles' taste at all.

They linger over the treats and coffee as the restaurant winds down for the evening, talking about future plans and whether the Sheriff will try to shoot Derek when they tell him (Stiles says no, that it's more likely his father will be proud, pretend not to cry, and start insisting Stiles has to learn to dance for his wedding after Derek leaves. Derek possibly makes a mental note that Stiles really is thinking of this relationship as long term.), and what kind of apartment they should get in Portland.

The rain has cleared up when they leave a few minutes before closing, after leaving a hefty tip on the table to make up for staying so long, and so they walk along the beach for a bit, the stars peeking out overhead.

Derek stops them a little ways from the cabin when their kisses grow more needy, tugging them down to the sand, uncaring that it's soaking into his clothes. Stiles sprawls across him and Derek lets his hands move under Stiles' shirt, thumbs stroking over Stiles' nipples as he kisses him and relishes the way Stiles rolls against him.

It doesn't take too long though before Stiles shivers and pushes away, despite Derek's grumbling, promising he can be quiet if they go inside. They're possibly a little louder than necessary, mostly because Derek keeps spinning Stiles to him and kissing him and he really doesn't care if he wakes anyone up. They reach the room without a sign of Cora or Isaac though, and once Derek has Stiles on his bed, legs spread and smile beckoning Derek closer, he slows down enough to savor his mate.

He kisses Stiles for long moments, until he's got Stiles begging with swollen lips and dark eyes, then Derek keeps on kissing him as he opens Stiles up, not wanting to move away from the way he can swallow up Stiles' praises and exclamations and words of love.

They rock together, somehow both soft and needy at the same time, and when Stiles moans out a "fuck, I love you" and then pales, like he didn't mean to say it first in the middle of sex, Derek nips at his ear, whispers it back and promises they don't have to count this one if Stiles really wants a do-over.

It's not really the sort of thing he thinks would make Stiles come, but he does, rolling his hips to meet Derek's thrust and panting. Derek buries his face in Stiles' neck as he comes, not quite sure if he likes the way Stiles clenches around him best or the way his heart races under Derek's lips.

They wake in the morning to find that Isaac and Cora are gone, leaving a note about getting coffee and going for a run, and Derek easily lets Stiles convince him to give shower sex a try.

The house bathroom isn't exactly large, causing them to shuffle around a bit. Derek bangs his elbow twice, Stiles hits the back of his head against the showerhead, and just when Derek is thinking they'll have to give up, Stiles drops to his knees and wraps his mouth around Derek's cock, then pulls off just long enough to say "this works too".

Derek comes embarrassingly soon, and he blames the devilish imp in Stiles' eyes.

He pulls Stiles up to him, pressing Stiles' back against his chest and reaching around to stroke him in quick, steady pulls.

By the time they get out of the shower, the water's threatening to turn cold.

"Don't you two look adorable?" Cora comes around the corner of the house, walking up to the back porch where Stiles and Derek sit.

They hadn't decided on breakfast yet, just made coffee in the supplied French press, then came outside to sit and watch the waves. Stiles is leaning back in a cushioned lounge chair, and Derek sits between his legs, his head tilted back on Stiles' shoulder.

"Have a good run?" he asks, too blissfully happy to even banter with his sister.

Cora's smile grows soft and warm at that, like she knows what he's feeling, and she sits on the little loveseat next to them. "We did. Isaac's bringing coffee."

A moment later, Isaac does indeed appear with what have become everyone's favorites from Sleepy Monk, handing them over before sitting next to Cora and pulling her legs over his lap so she can curl into his chest. "I wish we didn't have to leave tomorrow," sighs Isaac, a rueful tone to his words.

"Derek's coming to college with us," says Stiles.

Derek blinks back a few tears at the way both Isaac and Cora fly off the bench to hug him, Cora whispering a "thank god" in his ear.

They explain the details, and Stiles shares that he took a peek at the schedule of classes the admissions counselor at PSU gave him, and he thinks he can give himself four day weekends for a while so he can maybe travel back to Beacon Hills with Derek on those weekends and come visit the coast on the others.

Cora tilts her head a bit, the way Lydia does when she's puzzling over a problem. "You could live here," she says.

"There's no satellite campus," says Stiles, looking confused.

"Yeah I know. But it's what an hour and a half, two hours max drive? You could be in traffic for that long if we were in LA. And you just said you could limit your class schedule," explains Cora. "Isaac and I were saying too that having a place to ourselves was kind of nice last night, though we don't want to be far from pack. So what if we get a small apartment in Portland, something near campus, and a pack house here on the coast?"

Derek opens his mouth to discuss the potential problems with that when he realizes there really aren't any. "That could work."

Cora nods, clearly excited. "Stiles can stay with Isaac and I at the apartment on the days he has classes if he doesn't want to drive back here, and we'll be close enough we'd be over all the time anyway."

"You could even check in with Beacon Hills during the week," suggests Isaac. "Unless Stiles wants to go back with you to see his dad."

Derek feels Stiles nod at his side. "I do want to see him. But that's a really good plan. Derek, would it work?"

"I think so."

The four of them spend the rest of the morning planning out the details.

Their last morning finds Isaac and Cora sitting out on the beach, while Derek sits with Stiles on the porch steps.

"Are you sad we're leaving?" he asks.

Stiles shakes his head, pressing himself against Derek's side. "No. I'm happy we found a place to call home."

* * *

**Notes: So I didn't do notes last chapter but… Cannon Beach is essentially my favorite place in the entire world. And while there's definitely a tourist season, it's the rainy, windy, stormy and miserable part that I love. Gimme that weather any day and every day. So basically how Stiles feels is how I really feel. I've been wanting to write this section since I started this fic.**

**Sleepy Monk really is phenomenal coffee. Ya know how you picture the perfect coffee shop for a coffee shop AU, the kind that only rarely exists? This is one of those. Also the Wayfarer is legit. Kinda pricey (dessert is good tho) but really it's about the view. The restaurant is right on the edge of the beach and they have huge picture windows, so you can just see out across the ocean. It's awesome.**

**I dunno if Derek's referred to Stiles as his mate. But so you know my general headcanon for mates...unless I specifically say this is a destined in the stars, not a lot of choice sort of mate situation, you can assume that I'm using mate as a term somewhere between boyfriend/fiance. Kind of a Derek knows this is a forever kind of deal and Stiles knows it and this is the word that shows that. Plus personally I like the idea of mates matching as both friends and lovers, something I don't always think boyfriend or girlfriend implies. Anyways.**

**Depending on where you are, the coast to Portland drive might seem like a thing a crazy person would do. My sis lived in Cannon Beach though and she and her friends drove up to Portland several times a week, usually just for dinner or shopping. It just doesn't seem like a big deal. So I made it work for our boys.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes: POV Change and flash forward. I don't think you'll mind it though.**

* * *

Cora slams her cards on the table. "Rummy, bitches!"

Allison snickers at her, while Isaac and Danny reach out to steady the table.

"Again?" Lydia gives Cora a disdainful look.

"What, you couldn't see it coming?" says Cora, her eyes wide with fake innocence.

Lydia laughs. "I'm not psychic."

"You're something!" chorus the others and then burst into laughter.

Scott gathers the cards and starts shuffling once he catches his breath, and Cora observes her pack and friends, people only a few years ago she never knew existed, let alone would have imagined could become her closest confidants.

Stiles earned his master's degree yesterday-he and Derek are out to dinner at The Wayfarer to celebrate-and everyone turned up.

It's been a little over six years since the road trip. Derek bought a house along the coast, just far enough up from Cannon Beach to give them some privacy for the wolves on full moons. The Parental Trio (their official name) voted to spend Thanksgiving with them that first year, which brought Scott's pack up with them, and this tradition of playing cards grew out of it.

Chris bought a house for Allison in LA, but he told her he didn't mind if the pack lived there too. Allison and Scott got married their junior year, in a little church in Beacon Hills, though it changed little about how the pack interacted. Cora's still the most distant from those two, but she feels like the last couple years since the rest of them graduated, leaving only Stiles, Lydia, and Danny still attending school, has brought her and Allison closer together.

Scott requested a change to his pack's status the summer after their senior year of college, when Sheriff Stilinski proposed to Melissa McCall. Now they all fall in as Hale pack, with Scott representing the Beacon Hills branch, while Ethan is the alpha representative for the four pack members in San Francisco; Lydia, Ethan, Danny, and Jackson.

Cora smirks to herself when she looks over at Jackson. Easily her best friend of anyone in either pack, Jackson was a surprise to everyone.

She'd wanted badly to study overseas, but Isaac's classes didn't work out to put him in the same exchange program as her. So she went to London on her own for a semester during sophomore year, with both of them promising to make it work. And they did. Her first run in a park off campus had her running into a strange werewolf, one that was clearly bit and yet followed the kind of pack protocol that her mother would have wept over.

After throwing Jackson into a tree, Cora spent the rest of the full moon meeting her brother's first beta, and gaining a friend that eased the separation of pack. Jackson had fallen in with a pack that adhered to strict protocols, and while he wasn't officially pack with them, he was respectful and kind.

She made him come home with her for Christmas.

To say she hadn't anticipated the clusterfuck that followed was an understatement.

But in the end, Jackson was the best thing that happened to any of them. He'd made apologies to the people he needed to, and spent the holidays proving how much he'd changed. Cora spoke highly of him until Isaac stormed out of the house and stayed away all night. Jackson explained that particular situation, and from there Cora had kept silent support for a while.

Jackson and Lydia were back together, their relationship vastly different from what Stiles told Cora it used to be, but Jackson wanted to be in Derek's pack, claiming Derek as his alpha.

It brought the packs together over the next year.

Cora gotten to know Lydia and through her, Allison. Lydia's schooling kept her in San Francisco up til now and for the next couple years, and Jackson split his time between her and the pack. Cora's never really grown close to Danny, mostly because he's been with Ethan since high school (they got married last year), but they all get along well enough when together.

Beacon Hills has been quiet for years. Only the occasional problem arises now that Gerard and Peter-who they learned had been key parts of the problems for decades-are long since dead, and no one is ever any match for the Hale pack. Cora snickers to herself at the memory of the last werewolf pack that came around two years ago, having heard only that the Hale pack was split across two states.

Lydia had warned them-through a conference call not a scream, she kept that to herself-and Stiles, as primary emissary, had activated the territory wards.

The rival pack was greeted with the full force of the Hale pack; two alphas, a true alpha, the leaders of the Argent bloodline, a banshee, three emissaries, and a handful of angry humans and werewolves. Cora wasn't exaggerating a bit when she tells people they ran away with their tails between their legs.

"Shouldn't Stiles and Derek be back by now?" asks Danny, sitting back down at the table with a fresh beer.

Isaac shakes his head. "They rented the cabin we stayed at when we first came up on spring break in high school. Derek figured they'd need some alone time."

Cora grins. Definitely.

"Damn it," pouts Lydia. "I wanted to see the ring."

Everyone in the room except Cora and Isaac turns to stare at her.

"The ring?!" squeals Allison.

"Engagement ring?"

Jackson rolls his eyes at Scott because some things never change. "No, a Super Bowl championship ring."

"Which one is proposing?" asks Ethan.

"Derek," answers Cora. "And I don't know why you're complaining Lydia, you've seen the ring."

"You helped him pick it out," adds Isaac.

"But I haven't seen how it looks on Stiles' finger," she says, as though that explains everything.

Danny pulls a fifty dollar bill out of his wallet. "Fifty says they get kicked out of the restaurant because Stiles tries to say yes by blowing Derek under the table."

Cora takes that bet.

"Can we play now?" asks Scott.

Cora laughs and picks up her cards, spending the rest of the night content and happy with her pack.

* * *

**End Notes: Everyone but Isaac votes against Cora. She collects $640 the next day as her winnings. It's ruled "not her problem" that the rest didn't know that Derek and Stiles were banned for three months from the restaurant for having sex in the bathroom.**

**Yes, Stiles got a ring. Fuck gender norms. Black titanium.**

**Thank you to everyone who read this story, left kudos, commented, or subscribed. It's been a lot of fun to write. I hope you all enjoyed the end!**

**And feel free to come visit with me at .com. **


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